AGO 1990-008.

CourtConnecticut
Connecticut Attorney General Opinions 1990. AGO 1990-008. 1990Opinion No. 1990-008Major John WatsonExecutive OfficerConnecticut State Police100 Washington StreetHartford, CT 06106 Dear Major Watson: In his letter to us, Lt. Col. John A. Mulligan requested our advice concerning the use of certain closed circuit video monitoring equipment to monitor the area to the rear of certain motor vehicles. His specific question to us is "whether installation and use of such equipment violates Section 14-105 of the General Statutes or any other provision of our law." For reasons explained below, our opinion is that the use of such equipment is prohibited by Conn. Gen. Stat. e14-105 if the monitor is visible to the driver.1 According to the enclosures which accompanied Lt. Col. Mulligan's letter, the equipment to which he refers is a closed circuit monitor system called "Car Vision," which "enables the user to observe and confirm situations at the vehicle's rear. Each set comprises (sic) a TV camera, monitor, and self-contained control and power units." The manufacturer of the system claims that "[t]he Car Vision camera and monitor, unlike a conventional TV camera, do not have independent functions. The camera and monitor are designed to functions (sic) as a composite body." Thus, the monitor cannot be modified to receive a video signal from a source other than the unit's dedicated video camera. The statute which is relevant to this inquiry, e14-105, provides as follows:
No television screen or other device of a similar nature, except a video display unit utilized for instrumentation purposes, shall be installed or used in this state in any position or location in a motor vehicle where it may be visible to the driver or where it may in any other manner interfere with the safe operation and control of the vehicle. Violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction.
The statute contains no definition of the terms "television" or "television screen." It is well-established that "[i]n the construction of statutes, words and phrases shall be construed according to the commonly approved usage of the language; and technical words and phrases, and such as have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law, shall be construed and understood accordingly." Conn. Gen. Stat. e1-1(a). Where a statute does not define a term...

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