South Central Connecticut Planning Region
578,741 people, served by 17 police agencies that report to the FBI. Below: how a case moves here, from arrest to court.
How a case moves here
South Central Connecticut Planning Region follows Connecticut law on arrests, release, and courts. These rules are the same in every county in the state; the full set covers prosecutors, defense, and jails too.
- Who decides release first
The police decide first. A police chief or designee must interview the arrested person and release them on a written promise or a bond the officer sets. If the person can't post it, a Judicial Branch bail commissioner or intake specialist sets conditions. Police can't release on a promise or unsecured bond in a family violence crime involving a firearm.
C.G.S. 54-63c and 54-63d- Time to see a judge
A person arrested and not released must be presented promptly at the next regular sitting of the Superior Court where the offense happened. The law sets no hour limit. The U.S. Supreme Court's 48-hour rule for a probable cause finding applies as the federal floor.
C.G.S. 54-1g- Money bail
Money bail is allowed. Since 2017, when the only charges are misdemeanors, a court may not set money bail unless the charge is family violence, the person asks for it, or the court finds a likely risk they will not appear or will obstruct justice.
C.G.S. 54-64a(a)(2)- Courts
Connecticut has one trial court, the Superior Court. Geographical area courthouses hear arraignments and all but the most serious criminal cases, and judicial district courthouses hear the most serious felonies. Probate courts don't hear crimes.
Connecticut Judicial Branch, Divisions of Superior Court- Judges and magistrates
The governor nominates judges from a list the Judicial Selection Commission approves, and the General Assembly appoints them for eight-year terms.
Connecticut State Register and Manual, Judicial Department
Read from the statutes and court rules cited, 2026-09-30. Police set a bond amount themselves; the statute text read does not show a statewide money schedule, so schedule_release means police money bail, not a court schedule. Bail commissioner qualifications were not found.
What this county does differently
Nothing county-specific yet
Police agencies
- New Haven Police DepartmentCity139,715 served
- Hamden Police DepartmentHamden town61,706 served
- Meriden Police DepartmentMeriden city60,906 served
- West Haven Police DepartmentWest Haven city55,336 served
- Milford Police DepartmentCity53,760 served
- Wallingford Police DepartmentWallingford town44,353 served
- Branford Police DepartmentBranford town28,528 served
- East Haven Police DepartmentEast Haven town27,984 served
- North Haven Police DepartmentNorth Haven town25,027 served
- Guilford Police DepartmentGuilford town22,325 served
- Madison Police DepartmentMadison town17,706 served
- Orange Police DepartmentCity14,482 served
- North Branford Police DepartmentCity13,563 served
- Woodbridge Police DepartmentWoodbridge town9,148 served
- CT005SP00State police
- Southern Connecticut State UniversityUniversity or College
- Yale UniversityUniversity or College
Agencies: FBI NIBRS master file 2025 batch headers; names from the FBI agency list, pulled 2026-09-29. An agency that serves several counties appears on each. Population served is the FBI's figure.
Crime and arrests
No figures yet