Who’ll win the public safety argument in the mayoral election? Some of it depends on whether the dog days of summer bite with violent crime. Police strength is down with more potential retirements on the horizon.
CT Post scribe Brian Lockhart as more:
Already short nearly six dozen officers heading into the busy summer months, the city’s Police Department could be grappling with an additional wave of retirements come July 1 because of a new contract.
“We’re estimating probably 30,” Sgt. Chuck Paris, the union’s president, said. “It could be more.”
The department now has a roster of 380 sworn personnel, down from the desired 447.
While Mayor Bill Finch’s administration launched a recruitment drive to send as many as three consecutive, 32-member classes of cops to the city’s police academy, the first group of new officers will not hit the streets for on-the-job field training until next winter at the earliest. And it will be this time in 2016 before they can patrol independently.
Full story here.
The Post article stated, Discussing the current 67 vacancies, Assistant Bridgeport Police Chief James Nardozzi said, “Are there still the same cops on the street? The answer’s `yes.’ It’s just they’re being staffed on a time-and-a-half basis. There are still the same cops and cars out there on every shift.” BINGO, there’s the problem, there is no vision or understanding about the department, poor management skills, they are going to run the police dept. on time-and-a-half, please!!! Plus Mayor Finch and the police chief don’t want to hire Bridgeport resident to be police officers.
What the flock is this?
“There’s a very small group of violent young people who are hell-bent on shooting each other,” Police Chief Joseph Gaudett recently told members of the City Council. “There’s a proliferation of illegal weapons on the street. … If these kids have access to a weapon and a desire to use it, it’s going to end up with tragic results.”
So Finch is no longer taking credit for the reduction in crime?
He and Gaudett are blaming a very small number of violent young people for a very big increase in crime.
Repeat after me, reduction in violent crime, Bill Finch gets the credit. Increase in violent crime, ‘very small number of violent young people’ get the blame.
This is truly getting bitter day by day.
Paris said the homicides and shootings are a growing concern for his members, at least some of whom are supporting ex-Mayor and convicted felon Joseph Ganim over Finch.
“It’s getting down to a point where we need help,” said Paris, “Summer’s coming. We’re very concerned.”
So the question is what has Joe promised them? Making promises to unionized city workers in order to get their endorsement sounds like the same old Joe.
Why don’t you ask about the incestuous relationship between the Finch administration and AFSCME? Why are they the only union with TWO full-time union reps? Paid by the taxpayers.
The council’s Contracts Committee, following a meeting with Paris and Neil Austin of the city’s labor relations office, unanimously forwarded the document on to the full 20-member legislative body.
Where were Tom McCarthy and Larry Osborne? Why weren’t they handling this very important contract the union says will result in an additional 30 retirements? Why is this poorly negotiated contract going to further hurt morale? Who is running the show?
Adam Wood.
Adam Wood calls the shots and Sherwood does his evil bidding. Been like that for seven years.
One of the things I have continued to do since I retired is attend The Bridgeport Police Union meetings. It’s a nice time for me, I see some of the people I used to work with, catch up on what’s going on in the department and they usually serve a nice meal. I also believe the Lord moves in strange and mysterious ways, and will put us in places where we can learn things, things we should share and pass on to enlighten the people we care about.
Earlier today I entered a Facebook post about conditions in the city you’re being lied to in regards to crime in Bridgeport. You probably read earlier this week The Police Department union was endorsing Joe Ganim for Mayor. I was told that was not the case. They have met with him but will meet with the others who are running as well if so desired. Here’s the other thing, ee citizens are being told The City is getting better everyday and it’s safer here right now than it has been in years. What else would you expect them to tell you? The simple truth is The city of Bridgeport with its 143,000,00 people living here on these 18 square miles has a Police Department that is at least 70 officers short of its budgeted strength with at least 30-40 more leaving after this new contract which is already three years old is ratified by the common council by July 1st, and because of the way the city hires cops they cannot replace them. No matter what you’re being told, I could tell you why but that would make a long post even longer.
Also speaking about public safety, since January 1st of this year at least 35 people have been shot in the city of which I think seven people have died of their injuries, four within the last few months and two in the past two weekends. And the summer isn’t even here yet. I could tell you more and I will share more on coming posts. Bottom line here people is if you want changes, changes for the better, you’re going to have to take responsibility for your future and the future of this city, your vote means everything, please don’t squander or waste it. I believe Bridgeport is poised to take its rightful place on the list of Great American Cities, but it won’t happen by magic and it won’t happen if you leave these people in office and it won’t happen if you turn to people who failed you before. This is the most important election in the City of Bridgeport in years. Make your voice heard, if you’re not registered to vote do so this city needs you. We need people in office who are gonna tell the truth no matter how much it hurts. Lower taxes, Better Schools, Safer streets, open, honest and efficient all-inclusive government, economic opportunities, a better quality of life for our children. All these things and more are real possibilities. Wake up, Stand up Bridgeport.
When this contract is ratified, count on Finch to be at the presser, taking “credit” for “getting this done, ensuring Bpt’s safety for the future” … but in reality, this four-year contract is only good for one more year. And at that time, we’ll be right back to square one. When we all get a MASSIVE tax increase next year, count on Finch blaming it on the new police contract amongst other things. These fine men and women deserve every penny they can get.
I’m sure the City increased the cost to each police officer for their medical insurance and if they did then that’s where the wave of retirements will come from because their raise will not be in their paycheck, instead it will go to pay for their medical insurance. How much is the police dept. budgeting for overtime?
Talking about Public Safety and the financial consequences of it, from the CT Post:
Man found dead in Bridgeport river
Those at the park said they saw lots of police activity and said a portion of Knowlton Street was briefly closed. The area is near the intersection of Artic Street.
One woman, who declined to give her name, said she was told the man drowned.
“That’s what my friend said, that he fell in,” the woman said.
“They should put a railing out there,” she added, referring to the waterfront boardwalk area.
THEY SHOULD PUT A RAILING OUT THERE REFERRING TO THE BOARDWALK AREA.
Here’s another lawsuit coming! Wonder who Finch will blame for this foul up.
Ron,
You hit BINGO with your question. The City budgeted just about the same $90 Million for this year as actual 2014 including Overtime among all expenses. Budgeting for a full work force that cannot be attained in the 2015-16 time period? Taking money away from Police Health Benefits in face of new contract signing? How many positions are possible and why not set out those positions included in the numbers, Tom Sherwood? Better? Bitter? Or maybe the City is getting “butter” every day? Time will tell.
Question for Ron Mackey: Why would Bill Finch not want to hire police officers who reside in Bridgeport? Does he have some political gain to hire out-of-towners? I’d like to know how he benefits. If I’m Bill Finch (the mayor), I want a police force that has skin in the game, people who care about what happens in Bridgeport. What possible benefit can Bill receive from hiring police outside the community? Do they bring him any votes? NO. Does it make him feel good for some unknown reason? Nothing I can think of. So why does Bridgeport receive so few qualified applicants from the residents of Bridgeport? There are not enough qualified applicants living in Bridgeport. The land of opportunity is only a dream for the majority of the working poor living every day in Bridgeport. Change will come slowly but surely if we stand up and recognize “honesty is the best policy.” There are no quick political fixes for the problems of Bridgeport. We need the best qualified people to serve the citizens of Bridgeport in the life and death capacity of police officers. We should all work hard to improve our city, so people seek out Bridgeport as a place they want to raise their families. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in our lifetime, people clamored to move to and live in Bridgeport because we had become the city of opportunity and a safe place to live? This should be the vision of everyone in the Only in Bridgeport community. This is not so you can sell your house at a profit, but for a place to proudly say you live and would never want to leave.
Bridgeport spends over 60 million dollars a years for both the police and fire department and the largest percent of that is in salary and if all those police officers and firefighters lived here in Bridgeport, think of the buying power and the taxes that would come to Bridgeport, plus they live here in Bridgeport. Bridgeport is closer to Baltimore than most people think and the hiring of police officers who don’t live in Bridgeport and they only get a paycheck from Bridgeport and who have no concern or connection to Bridgeport is the wrong way to go.
Ron,
To clarify, not to correct you, because your major point about the buying power of City residents is important:
The current 2014-15 budget shows the Police Department with $90,806,428 appropriations, which includes $15,436,739 payment towards the Pension A Bond Repayment annually.
As for the Fire Department in the current year the expense is $58,142,628 and that includes a similar Pension A Bond Repayment of $14,831,377 according to City budget offerings.
The recent vote by the Council to approve likely shows the Police Department with a budget lower by as much as $1.5 Million while the Fire Department may have increased by a similar amount. Most of these expenses are for compensation of personnel currently, fringe benefits per contract, and the expense of the old Pension A Repayment Obligations.
When you consider the property owner tax burden as it relates to the City side of the annual operating budget (that is net of any funds for the Board of Education), the public safety departments use up about 50% for the Cityside budget exclusive of various grants that we are not allowed to see in a regular and comprehensive way. They appear and disappear from our City revenue flow as if magic, rather than as a right for some Grant programs or a reward in other cases where we as a City have made a case to an outside funder and won a flow of money for a specific program target for a limited time. Why is the City so secret about its finances? Time will tell.
There is a simple reason politicians don’t want to restrict the entry of Firefighters and police to residents of Bridgeport. Allowing that to happen creates a political force the politician must deal with.
Many years ago the fire department and the police department worked together and got a Republican Nick Panuzio elected mayor. We ran telephone banks, ran soft sheets and brought out over 6,000 voters, I don’t know how they voted but our candidate won. What did we get for this work? A 20-year pension and fully paid medical. Politicians will never renegotiate a contract with residency in it.