Acting Fire Chief Lance Edwards was joined by Mayor Joe Ganim and Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia to announce a high-ranking department official has been placed on administrative leave following complaint of an alleged sexual assault. See video above.
News release from Fire Department:
At 0815hrs a female party arrived at the Bridgeport Fire Department Engine 6 on Central Avenue to report an incident involving her daughter and a member of the Bridgeport Fire Department. Immediately the senior officer from the fire house notified the Bridgeport Emergency Communications Center to report this alleged incident and to have the Bridgeport Police Department dispatched immediately to their location.
At this time the Bridgeport Police are actively investigating a high-ranking member of the Bridgeport Fire Department for potential involvement or actions in allegations being made involving the sexual assault of a female party. The entire matter is currently under active investigation.
Acting Fire Chief Edwards has immediately placed this high-ranking member of the Fire Department on administrative leave based on the allegations while this criminal investigation is being conducted.
As confirmations and information become available, updates will be provided.
The pace of good news coming out of City Hall is simply overwhelming! And it’s going national!
Now, combined with our thriving, rapidly-expanding commercial tax base, and our low, home-owner-friendly property-tax rate, we’ll soon be deluged by a flood of the rich and famous looking to relocate here! (No need to travel to Israel, Governor Lamont — they’ll probably be sending a delegation here to check out opportunities in Bridgeport… Maybe they’ll decide to relocate Vitramon back to Connecticut — in Bridgeport!)
What a city! What a state! How lucky are we?!
Paging Ron Mackey. Why is it that his name is being withheld? Had it been a Police Officer, I’m sure Ron would be the first to demand more transparency. Case in point, Delgado who is facing sexual assault charges.
Joel, you should know the name because you are one of guys at the BPD. As a whole I think that Bridgeport has a good police department with poor management and poor training.
Too often when we look for a storyline or narrative that can account for facts, or perceptions, we care about the words used by speakers, especially if they hold authority, responsibility, or power. Is there a message in Ganim2 being present to back up the Fire Department leader’s activity, presumably according to policy he knows and follows, and then the Acting PD Chief whose personnel will investigate. I guess their presence together at this moment in Bridgeport history is “newsworthy” to some, but in earlier days of the past couple decades, would this trio of City officers have gathered for this messaging?
Listen to the final words of Ganim2 on the above video? Did his subconscious reveal a so-called Freudian Slip as he talks about :”facts unravelling”? Did he mean to say that as facts are revealed?
Story lines and narratives can ‘unravel’ when they are not sourced by professional investigations, by persons of integrity, who seek and report the truth as they find it. So, your socks or a favorite sweater may unravel, when the threads or yarns become unconnected, but actual hard facts do not. When will you feature your specially appointed, but seldom called on publicly, Accountability and Integrity Administrator with his words of support for City administrative procedures, practices, and public outreach? Time will tell.
JML, where was that video of Mayor Ganim and Chief Garica with the mishandling of the deaths of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls? This was Ganim trying to cover his ass for his silence. JML, that picture of a Acting Police Chief and Acting Fire Chief serving together shows the lack of leadership. Acting Fire Chief Edwards has no skills and ability to serve as to even be an Acting Chief, he came from Stratford Fire Department as a Lieutenant and he is the first non-Bridgeport fire officer to ever be hired, that position was promoted inside the BFD where the candidate knew the city and the members and the fire load of the city and who pass the civil service exam for every position that they move up. Only the fire chief was hired outside of the civil service.
JML, the failure of Joe Ganim has created a culture failure by not following the city charter, first by allowing David Dunn to stay a the position for 12 years as the Acting Personnel Director, failure continue by NOT calling for a police chief exam and allowing AJ Perez to be the Acting Police Chief for 2 years. Just look at how much time and taxpayers’ money in keeping Perez and look how many problems happen during that time all because Joe Ganim needed Perez as the police chief. That cause David Dunn help Perez to pass high enough to get selected as chief by cheating. That bought on the FBI were Dunn and Perez to get arrested and serve time in federal prison. JML, just connect the dots.
John, I think we’re parsing words. Unravel could also mean investigate, solve, or explain, according to Google.
To parse some of your words “ I guess their presence together at this moment in Bridgeport history is “newsworthy” to some, but in earlier days of the past couple decades, would this trio of City officers have gathered for this messaging?”
If the politics warranted, I’m sure the trio would appear together. If it was during Finch’s administration the trio would be all white instead of a Black male firer chief and a Latino female police chief.
I bet there can be some more unraveling in that dynamics between Ganim and Finch administrations.
Cause you know words sometimes have two meanings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cZ_EFAmj08
RT,
As Ganim’s contribution to the taped segment provided above the force of his words diminished. FACT. At least to my hearing.
Did he say unraveling? Did he mean explanation or investigate? Or is ‘parsing’ a new topic to raise on OIB to distract from neglect of governance duties and increasingly autocratic City Hall?
Would we be better of in focusing on “where the national search stands”? Time will tell.
John, people see what they want to see. We can parse more words if you like, but Ganim ran on a platform, sought out voters, and was democratically elected to his increasingly autocratic City Hall. Like all mayors and elected officials. JS
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=494435292086375
RT Did you forget that you were the one who guided us into ‘parsing’? Do you continue to think that Ganim2 had research or investigation in mind when the last word, unprepared apparently, coming out of his mouth was ‘unraveling’?
Parsing in the quest of understanding can be helpful, but aren’t you more interested in knowing where the “national search is resting” at this time? And why did you retreat to Ganim’s last election? Is it an example of a banner turnout by informed and registered local voters? Or to “no real platform” in his previous term, “no reform work on Boards and Commissions” where the public can participate and learn by doing, and basic data as to what we OWN, what we OWE as taxpayers, and the dynamics of trends through the years are not tracked or easily determined in public data. Wish to parse any of this? Time will tell.
There’s not much research to ‘unravel’. Unravel can literally mean to investigate, solve, or explain. Just pointed out a fact of definition.
Looking back, let me remind you. As I stated, “we can parse more words”. I wasn’t retreating to Ganim’s last election. I was parsing words, particularly your use of the word ‘autocrat’ to describe Ganim’s mayoralship, who was democratically elected to govern the Port.
Would it be more prudent to know the progress of the national search for a new police chief, than ‘parsing’ words, considering past events regarding it, perhaps? I am sure time is going to tell as it unravels.
I understand your point, per se. As I stated, “if the politics warranted mayors of the past, they too would be out front together just as Ganim was with his two ‘minority’ police and fire chiefs, trying to mitigate the current situation that garnered national news, that has been described as a grenade being lobbed around.
Was it an exploitation of an alleged sexual assault of a minor, perhaps? No more or less than the Black Woman Speak March was an exploitation of two black families that made national news.
Without parsing, at least to my hearing. The march had a racial, racist undertone, primarily black and white. It was more about politics than seeking justice, fairness, or needed oversight and changes in the BPD.
In some aspects, you can say the march organizers disrespected the two black families by literally calling them liars when they denied the families’ claim that they were not consulted of the organizing about this March, as well as silencing their voice for the call for the removal of Cheif Garcia. Who is a minority Latino female because it wasn’t favorable to the racial identity politics at play? I have no doubt if the current police chief was white the calling of their removal would have been expressed by the parties at the march and those who are calling for the removal of the mayor.
As I said, that’s the current state of politics, for better or worse, right or wrong. Just taking the baby with the bathwater.
P.S No, I didn’t forget, well perhaps. It’s not like it was heavy on my mind. Give it some time though.
Did you know Christ was a Jew? 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfN1NcjS_6s
“Bridgeport firefighter charged with sexually assaulting teen”
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Bridgeport-firefighter-charged-with-sexually-16930811.php?src=rdctpdensecp
Hey Ron, where are the charges against the teen’s parents and the Restaurant? Isn’t it illegal for minors to be present in a bar? Clearly the parents failure to monitor their minor daughter put her in danger (sexual assault). The Restaurant seems to have a security issue. They couldn’t serve her the beverage at the restaurant table? The Monroe Police Department has an open investigation? How open? Where’s liquor control?
Reform Bridgeport’s Governance !
RBG!
When will Mayor Ganim call for Civil Service to have a nationwide search for the exam for a Fire Chief. Acting Fire Chief Edwards has no skills and ability to serve as to even be an Acting Chief, he came from Stratford Fire Department as a Lieutenant and he is the first non-Bridgeport fire officer to ever be hired, that position was promoted inside the BFD where the candidate knew the city and the members and the fire load of the city and who pass the civil service exam for every position that they move up. Only the fire chief was hired outside of the civil service. There are a number of candidates who came up through the ranks who have command experience and leadership with fighting fires and other incidents in knowing the city and the members of the BFD.
JML, I have little confidence in the Personnel Director’s office in giving exams because of the FACT of cheating on the recent police chief exam where the FBI investigation found David Dunn guilty in wire fraud. There has been NO outside investigation into that office ability to give exams without the hands of Dunn still there in giving other exams that are honest and fair. The city still needs a permanent Labor Relation Director instead of having the new Personnel Director serving as the Acting Labor Relation Director. JML, notice that the city council has said nothing about all of these major department heads positions being filled by Acting people.