Will The Mayor Choose Gaudett?

When it comes to choosing a police chief Bridgeport has a rule of three. Mayor Bill Finch will appoint a chief to a five-year term from the three remaining applicants narrowed through the Civil Service testing and interview process. After five years the city’s mayor has the option to appoint the chief for one more five-year contract. Acting Chief Joe Gaudett, a permanent deputy chief, seems to have a solid relationship with the mayor. But would the mayor prefer someone totally new to manage the rank and file?

From the mayor:

Police Chief Search Narrowed to Final 3 Candidates

The search for a new Police Chief is nearing its final stages with the field of 39 candidates narrowed to three finalists who will be interviewed by Mayor Bill Finch in the coming weeks.

Acting Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. has been leading the department since the resignation of Police Chief Bryan Norwood in October 2008.

The nationwide search attracted candidates from throughout the United States as well as local candidates from the Bridgeport Police force. The qualifications for the new chief are determined by the City Charter which specifies a minimum of 10 years urban law enforcement experience and five years in a command position. Candidates must be from a community with a population of 80,000 or more that has a minority population of at least 25 percent.

“I’m pleased we attracted so many interested applicants,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “I look forward to interviewing each of the finalists to make my final determination.”

In April, the City’s Civil Service Commission engaged the services of Slavin Management Consultants and Randi Frank Consulting LLC to conduct the search for a new police chief to replace Norwood. Both consultants are nationally recognized public sector search firms which specialize in conducting nationwide search operations for public sector management positions such as police chiefs, fire chiefs, town managers, finance directors and other top level public sector management positions.

The initial field of 39 applicants was winnowed to 20 through a series of phone interviews and review of qualifications. The consultants further narrowed the field to six semi-finalists who were then interviewed by a 10-member interview panel established by Civil Service and the Mayor’s Office that included representatives of City of Bridgeport government, the Bridgeport Board of Education, the Bridgeport business community, local community groups and the Bridgeport City Council and a POST certified CT Police Chief. The candidates were graded on their responses and the top three were chosen to send to the Mayor for his review.

“We were impressed by the qualifications of the semi-finalists we interviewed,” said Kathy Saint, former president of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and owner of Schwerdtle Stamp, who represented the business community on the 10-member interview panel. “I believe we’ve chosen three superb candidates to present to the Mayor for his decision.”

The finalists are:

• Joel F. Fitzgerald Sr.

Presently Police Chief of Missouri City, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Mr. Fitzgerald spent the majority of his police career with the City of Philadelphia Police Department where he served as a Police Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Commanding Officer between 1992 and 2009.

• Acting Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr.

Gaudett is a permanent Deputy Chief. He served as a Captain in the Patrol Division, Lieutenant in Communications, and Sergeant in Patrol and the Department Clerk’s Office. He was hired as a police officer in 1983. Gaudett has been Acting Police Chief since the departure of former Police Chief Norwood in 2008.

• Rick S. Gregory

Gregory is currently serving as CAO and Acting Public Safety Director of New Castle County, Delaware. From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Gregory served as Police Chief of New Castle County, Delaware. His police experience includes 22 years of service with the Florida Highway Patrol Department where he served as a Trooper, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, and Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Director for the South and East Region of the Florida Highway Patrol. He was a former Police Officer for the City of Lake Mary, Florida.

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33 comments

  1. All the candidates certainly meet the criteria when it pertains to past job performance, being a police officer. The thing about being a chief is dealing with administrative issues and being a respected leader of men and women!
    What about post-graduate work in these areas of administration, leadership, human relations, negotiating with unions, budget concerns … these are the things that eventually make or break any leader. There is no mention of these attributes in any article I’ve read.

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  2. Just 1 professional Police Officer was involved in selecting the final 3 candidates. The rest of the people involved were non professional police officers and had no clue about policework at all. I laughed when I saw a member of the BOE was on the committee. Let me ask this, did the police chief sit in on the interviews for the super’s position in the BOE? This is more of Finch’s feel-good BS.
    The one candidate from Philly left with 17 years on the job 3 short of a pension. Why was that? Did he go off on a disability? Did he leave under a cloud? What’s his story? I agree with BARF what is their educational background?

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  3. *** All comes down to someone you can control also as usual the Blacks want a Black chief, the Latinos want aLlatino, and the whites the same & you can’t please everyone. So why fix it, if it’s not broke politically right? Gaudett will be the Mayor’s pick to allow things to run smoothly in those regards for next year’s elections! *** SOS ***

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    1. I’m a white guy. I want a police chief who can do the job we need done. Ethnicity or color as a compelling requirement fails each and every time. Doesn’t have to be white … just capable, skilled and honorable.

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  4. I’m in agreement with BARF, town committee and Mojo. Mayor Finch’s selection will be what is best for his re-election and not what is best for the residents of Bridgeport.

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        1. I’m talking about downtown Bridgeport, CT. What are you talking about? Downtown is not safe 24 hours a day. My colleagues refuse to walk from the courthouse to the local restaurants at lunch time … in the middle of the day!!! The streets are filthy and filled with idle people looking for trouble. Don’t put icing on this canard for the sake of political loyalty. We need a chief who will recognizance that crime is rampant and fix the problem. Downtown is safe … EGAD.

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    1. Nice try. He did live here at one time. With 9 armed robberies, numerous break-ins and a number of stolen cars this area hardly qualifies as luxurious.

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  5. TC’s comment; “Will the Police Chief have to live in the city with the rest of us or will he be able to run off to the ‘burbs at the end of the day” makes a major, essential point concerning selection of the next Bridgeport police chief …

    The city charter contains a legal mandate requiring the police and fire chiefs to be, or become, city residents (within six months of appointment) – so there really shouldn’t be any issue here (although there has been, in recent years — with Chief Chapman…).

    At a practical level; without residing in the city (with their families), it is impossible to have the proper mindset and motivation to do the best job and make the best leadership decisions. A department head must be totally invested in the city to achieve to perform at an optimal level. (That could help to explain deficiencies in performance over all departments … This brings up the issue of charter change … It certainly gives the mayor adequate reason to use that requirement in his appointment criteria …)

    I believe that Acting-chief Gaudett has the ability to be an excellent police chief – but if I were Mayor Finch, I would extract a public promise of verifiable residency from him (he must move here within six months of appointment), or I would drop him from consideration for the position… What does it say to city residents if a department head – especially a public-safety department head – refuses to live with people he serves?

    Candidate Gaudett is the best candidate for chief (the other two were obviously chosen so they could be eliminated …), but he must make a public promise to move to Bridgeport within six months … If he won’t make such a promise, then the Mayor should start from scratch in the police-chief search/selection process and consider another deputy chief to serve as chief in the interim …

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    1. I thought that residency rule was removed long ago, although I will look it up now. If true, the current fire chief has never been asked to move into Bridgeport. It’s been almost 5 years already and he still lives next door to Mario, in Monroe!

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  6. Dems are working their asses off in Bpt. Today I was stopped twice and gave every Democrat on the ballot names and literature from the candidates at Stop & Shop and outside the barber shop. Imbecilla has basically given up on Bpt. Let’s see if it will hurt him Nov 2.

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  7. Dan Imbecilla makes Linda McSteriods looks good because he is so to the right it is crazy. I am pro life too but no to emergency contraception for rape victims that is just crazy. Say no to Imbecilla on election day, Bridgeport for Himes!!!

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    1. donj … what does this video have to do with the selection of a new police chief? So I guess you are against religious points of view, in hospitals, what, schools too? Maybe we should close down all religious institutions because their beliefs aren’t what … yours? You are one seriously closed-minded liberal!

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  8. Finch will hand-choose the new chief who will best follow his orders, like if John Gomes somehow gets ahead in a poll, the order will be to set him up again and arrest him.

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  9. *** Got some new blood this year for the World Series, hurrah! Texas/San-Fran. *** P/Chief should live in Bpt. & be a “cop’s cop” as well as community oriented & enforce walking community patrols from first of spring ’til end of fall, rotating from district to district. Police & Fire Commissioners should serve no more than 5yr term periods & continue to be approved by the city council. Also you cannot be a T/C member & be a commissioner too! Some may never happen but just a thought anyway! *** Back to Basics ***

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  10. One thing I’d like to ask the incoming chief: “What strategies do you recommend to control the use of overtime? Have you used any successfully? If so, would those strategies be useful in Bridgeport?”

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  11. *** Strategies to control overtime, More grants for more new police cadets, Overlap P/D shifts, better policy on sick-time use & abuse, summertime policy with brass on patrol (Capts on down), Union & Contract changes for mandatory 30yrs. retirement with 3% yearly cost of living adjustment, Less management brass above Capts. *** Back to Basics ***

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  12. I would say we should be picking our new Chief based on his leadership skills and department respect. Frankly, roping in overtime is just a Chess Game, moving numbers. It’s critically important that our City is safe apart from obvious reasons to support Economic Development. We do a horrible job of supporting our Police Department including our general lack of respect for those who have chosen to serve the public and put their lives on the line every time they show up for work. We should be appropriately funding the BPT PD, and partnering with our PD as a community. Expecting a Chief to be able to work cohesively with his force while having to reduce OT to the point that we don’t have enough manpower to effectively Police the City is unreasonable and potentially deadly. Obviously, TEAM BLUE.

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    1. j.l. You re setting up a straw man. I do not suggest that.
      We have so few police that anarchy breaks out. What I do think is constant use of overtime (at 1.5 x wage) may not be cost-effective. Perhaps more police should be hired to reduce overtime, etc. I do think it is reasonable to ask a candidate for police chief to address how he or she will plan *** and control *** one of the largest items in his/her budget.

      Also, is it cost-effective to have cops work astronomical amounts of overtime before they retire so their pensions will increase?

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      1. Just to let you know the police and fire pensions are based on base salary and base salary alone. The amount of OT worked does not affect the pensions one bit.

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  13. Didn’t the police union already take a no-confidence vote in Gaudett?
    So for Jennifer Lynne’s point this chief has no department respect.
    Jennifer Lynne says “Bring on a newbie!!!”

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  14. The politically smart thing for Finch to do is dump Gaudett. There is nothing to be gained by keeping him. Crime is going in the wrong direction. The department doesn’t respect him. He has no street smarts or street experience.
    If Finch were to bring someone new in, at least he is showing some political balls by trying something. Do nothing and if things get worse Finch looks incompetent in an election year.
    If he hires someone, there is first the winter when crime numbers historically drop. If they go back up, he still has a grace period which would fit Finch well.
    So what will Finch do? Keep Gaudett. It’s the safe thing. He won’t piss off anyone else. And Gaudett is his yes man.
    The thing Finch doesn’t get is he does not need yes men he needs department heads who will stand up to him, tell him when he is wrong and try to steer this out-of-control ship.
    See Economic Development Director for more proof.

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  15. Grin, I think your post is very accurate, and Jeff was right on the money when he muses the other two candidates were picked to be eliminated. I thought they were both on the weak side, but not seeing the others … who knows.
    Hard to believe out of 39 this is what the city is left with. You can bet the decision will be to keep Joe Gaudett, and I think he is a good man. These folks are too predictable. So sometime this week I bet.

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  16. It makes no difference who the chief is as long as you have 4 deputy chiefs who are in the union and do not serve at the pleasure of the chief. The chief can have a bunch of new ideas and if these deputy chiefs do not like the new ideas they won’t fly.

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