Foster: Prioritize City Residents For Public Safety Employment

Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster, citing low staffing levels, writes that tax credits and academic achievement should be among the incentives utilized to attract more city residents to public safety employment. “By embracing change and transforming the way we recruit, hire and train our police force, we will become the community partners we need to be, ensure the safety of our residents and officers and look back at this time with pride, as we place ourselves on the right side of history.” Commentary follows:

Fifty years ago, this nation was navigating a tumultuous path toward civil rights; its leaders met with resistance at every turn, sometimes violent. The pursuit of civil rights sparked riots in cities throughout the country. Many people feared change and fought against it vehemently. But change, as Robert Kennedy once said, was the “only path with the promise of saving our cities, the only path with the potential of bringing forth the resources needed for the task ahead.” Today, we applaud that change and look back on those who led it as courageous visionaries.

I thought of this as I watched the news coverage of the riots in Baltimore–the latest violent manifestation of urban injustice.

Bridgeport has not been sheltered from the socioeconomic trends that, in part, led to the unrest in Baltimore. In fact, the two cities share significant similarities. Each is more than 18 percent behind the average U.S. city in family income and 20 percent behind in home ownership. Unemployment is high.

Those statistics are significant, but they are numbers–sterile. We need to think of them in terms of the reality: poverty. Thought of in this way, those numbers don’t just tell us where we are compared to other cities, they set the stage for what’s happening in places like Ferguson and Baltimore.

The events in Baltimore should have been a catalyst for real reform in cities around the nation, especially here in Bridgeport. Instead, they’ve been met with empty words and the obligatory “embracing diversity” photo shoot. Rather than seizing the opportunity to make substantial policy changes, our “leadership” seized the opportunity to make self-serving political moves.

The actions we need to take respect both our citizens and our police force. It is unacceptable that the city of Bridgeport has the lowest police force staffing levels in memory. It is unfair to the people who live here and unfair to the people we ask to protect us. The citizens of Bridgeport are left vulnerable and the police are asked to do more than is possible.

Despite the inaction of the current administration, this problem is not without a solution. We can regularly recruit and do it in a timely manner that avoids crisis. We can pay our officers adequately to attract and retain a high-quality, dedicated police force. We can offer–and demand–training that prepares them for the work they do. Most importantly, we can develop mutual trust and use this crisis as an opportunity for real dialogue and meaningful to all change for all.

Addressing the makeup of our public safety professionals will be a chief objective of my tenure as mayor. First, we must encourage more young Bridgeport residents to join the force. A career in public service is a stable and lucrative one. The entry level civil service exam–a prerequisite for the police department–should be dismissed for students attaining a certain level of academic achievement in Bridgeport schools, paving the way for increased local applicants.

Meaningful preferences for hiring Bridgeport residents must also be implemented and utilized. Property tax credits for police officers, firefighters, EMT and teachers who reside in Bridgeport will attract committed and talented people to these positions.

Another measure I will prioritize is the establishment of the Office of the Public Safety Ambassador to serve as a liaison between the community and the police department. The Office will be designed to provide detailed and insightful context with the current complaint system in order to improve understanding and outcomes across the board.

To further improve transparency and accessibility, I would call on the Police Commission to move its monthly meetings. Whether by design or by default, the current location separates the public from the decision making of its police department, and should be moved from the chief’s office to a more open and welcoming area such as City Hall.

With the attention of the nation on the struggle of inner-city residents, we have an opportunity. By embracing change and transforming the way we recruit, hire and train our police force, we will become the community partners we need to be, ensure the safety of our residents and officers and look back at this time with pride, as we place ourselves on the right side of history.

Addressing the socioeconomic conditions that fuel confrontation with the police will be a long-term, strategic and cooperative effort that takes place over the course of my term as mayor. But the state of our community’s relationship with its police force cannot wait. As a candidate for mayor, I have the experience, the dedication and the plan to embrace the changes necessary to make it happen.