Connecticut legislation does indeed enable local municipalities to form a Civilian Police Review Board (CRB).

According to the Connecticut General Statutes 7-294aaa, the legislac tive body of a town may, by ordinance, establish a CRB. The ordinance shall prescribe the scope of authority of the CRB, the number of its members, the process for the selection of board members, the term of office for board members, and the procedure for filling any vacancy in the membership of the CRB​¹​. Any CRB established in this manner may be vested with the authority to issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses before the board and require the production for examination of any books and papers that the board deems relevant to any matter under investigation or in question​¹​.

If the city of New London does not respond to the formation of a CRB, there can be several consequences. While the legislation does not explicitly provide penalties for towns that do not establish a CRB, the absence of such a board can lead to a lack of meaningful oversight of the police force. This is because CRBs can serve as an important tool for accountability, helping to prevent and address police misconduct. They can conduct investigations into policing issues and, with the power of subpoena, can potentially get access to critical documents that can help reveal the truth about allegations of police misconduct​²​.

Moreover, the scope of investigations by CRBs should not be limited to serious cases of police violence. The board should also be able to investigate lower-level complaints, as these could be early predictors and warnings of later serious acts of police violence. If a town does not establish a CRB or if the CRB is not given sufficient powers, it could potentially miss out on this vital function​²​.

Another important aspect of a CRB's effectiveness is transparency. A CRB must be able to share information about police behavior with the public. However, it should be noted that police union contracts in Connecticut can prevent a municipality or its CRB from disclosing police misconduct​²​.

In summary, while the legislation does not explicitly penalize towns that do not establish a CRB, the absence of such a board can lead to a lack of oversight of the police force, potentially enabling police misconduct to continue unchecked.