From the mid 1980s into the 1990s, Bridgeport’s inner-city neighborhoods were blistering war zones of drug gang activity at the height of the violent crack cocaine epidemic: 50, 60 and even 70 murders per year at apex.
Number One Family, Dicks Brothers, Green Top Posse, Cats and Rats warring for a piece of the drug action. It became so violent that those ugly Jersey barriers were installed on the East Side to deter suburban drug buyers. What a mess.
Federal intervention: DEA, FBI, ATF worked with city and state police to break up many of the gangs while some members weeded out the ranks blowing each other away.
Things have calmed quite dramatically since that era with ebbs and flows in violent crime. In the past few years, however, the city has a experienced a dramatic drop in homicides. So far, only two this year that were both domestic related and solved.
I’ve been covering Bridgeport for 50 years now (don’t tell anyone) and during that period I’ve never seen the murder rate this low at this time of year.
It’s tricky heralding low crime stats because ya just never know about the potential spurts, but this is historically low.
What’s made the difference? A number of factors including law enforcement technology such as cameras, taking down drug gangs, community engagement, walking patrols, manpower deployment, more police personnel, medical advancements saving shooting victims. Economic factors also play into the statistics.
Chief Roderick Porter provided OIB homicide stats from the 1990s and picking back up in 2013 that shows the trends.
Homicides by calendar year and number
1990. 58
1991. 51
1992. 57
1993. 60
1994. 50
1995. 33
1996.44
Homicides by calendar year and number
2013. 14
2014. 12
2015. 19
2016. 10
2017. 23
2018. 11
2019. 17
2020. 24
2021. 19
2022. 16
2023. 20
2024. 12
2025. 2
How does Bridgeport’s two homicides compare to like-minded cities in Connecticut? In recent years New Haven and Hartford violent crime rates have generally eclipsed Bridgeport, the most populous community in Connecticut.
According to media reports: New Haven 13 this year; Hartford eight; Waterbury, six.
That’s Amazing!! Now the low crime rate has to be with all the promotions going on with the city. This Stigma of Bridgeport being this crime infested shithole needs to be reversed. TV promotions flyers radio ads and announcements!!! Everything and Anything that get the mind frame changed
Sure Coach, let’s all leave our Doors and Windows unlocked. Get ridd of your guns, home alarms, video surveillance cameras; leave the keys in the ignition of your car; no longer worry about any child walking alone around Bridgeport; every store and gas station can go ahead and remove the bullet proof glass protecting the clerks; and whatever you do, don’t mention the words ‘Fentanyl deaths’–they’re just accidents.
When the Trump economy takes a nosedive and the Big Ugly Bill kicks in, we may see a reaction where drug demand surges and the drug-gang activity/competition picks up commensurately, driving the murder rate back up. Hope it doesn’t happen, but we shouldn’t forget that Bridgeport took the nosedive that brought us be known as the Drug Supermarket off of I-95 (per National Geographic) after Reaganomics/Trickledown kneecapped the cities and created the urban nightmare that has defined American cities for the past 45 years…
The BPD better get those Jersey Barriers out of storage for the urban s-storm that is coming on the wings of the Big Ugly Bill — the cameras can only contain a certain level of desperation.
Gotta give credit when credit is due,kudos to chief Porter and the great men & women on our police force..Bpt overall just feels safer also..