From Dan Tepfer, CT Post:
Three city police captains who are legally challenging the qualifications of Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia are asking a judge to block their sudden transfers.
On Wednesday, Garcia ordered Capt. Brian Fitzgerald, head of the Detective Bureau, transferred to patrol; Capt. Roderick Porter, head of community services, to patrol; Capt. Kevin Gilleran, from special services to head of the Detective Bureau; Capt. Steven Lougal, from patrol to special services; and Capt. Lonnie Blackwell, from patrol to administrative services.
…
“The filings and motion speak for themselves,” said their lawyer, Thomas Bucci.
“The allegations (in the injunction request) are utterly baseless, and I look forward to an evidentiary hearing,” said Deputy City Attorney John Bohannon Jr.
… “Acting Chief Garcia has intentionally obstructed the future career progressions for Captains Porter, Fitzgerald, and Lougal, solely because they challenged her appointment as assistant police chief as violating the time-honored principles of the Bridgeport civil service system,” states the injunction request.
Full story here.
Overturning time-honored principles of civil service is what this is all about, right?
Bucci represents traditional ways while Bohannon seeks a new standard based on modern era qualifications.
Let me go back to the Police Chief exam, Mayor Joe Ganim as we know of right now didn’t tell David Dunn that he wanted Acting Police Chief AJ Perez to be in the top three of final candidates. So why did Dunn put the fix in by getting the questions and answers from Randi Frank who gave the exam and then helping Perez? Acting Police Chief Garcia has one boss, Mayor Joe Ganim, if Garcia wants to keep her position then she better please her boss because he’s the one who put her where she is.
Let me go to a second point, Mayor Ganim says the city will pay Ramsey’s consulting firm $25,000 for a three-month contract. Ganim says the former top cop in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. will focus on improving the department’s use of force by offering best practices and policies and procedures, based on his decades of experience. Where is that report that the taxpayers paid for and why hasn’t it been made public? What action has Acting Police Chief Garcia has taken from the Ramsey’s report to improve the BPD?
Ron Mackey says:
June 5, 2020 at 12:20 pm
Bob, I’m in agreement with you, Chief Ramsey needs to use his original assessment and what original contract called for so that taxpayers know all of facts and why was there such a long wait for this report not being made know to the taxpayers.
The report will stress the need for more specialty training, the need to improve trust and confidence with the public, clear lines of responsibility are just a few of the easy points that we already know. Everything will depend on what the contract states because it could a very limited in his scope. Yes, the report will be tame like most reports are. We already know what some of the problems are like the beating by 3 cops at Beardsley Park of a black man who has been tase, the killing of a teenager, Jason Negron by police and allowing his body to be uncovered for 4 hours and the incident on Colorado Ave with 17 police officers. There is no way that the BPD can come out smelling like flowers but again it all depends what Ramsey looked into.
Ron
Thefix was in from the very beginning.
Ramsey was given a contract for $25,000. Why? Because it didn’t have to go out to bid and Joey G could pick who ever he wanted.
He picked Ramsey because he would tell him what he wanted within reason. Now we are at a standstill. Ramsey will say only so much AND he wants part two of the contract.
Joe must have serious concerns over what part two will say.
Ramsey is not John Bohannon. John will gladly says what Joe wants. Bohannon will rewrite civil service rules to basically eliminate civil service so Joe will do whatever he wants. Joe and Local Eyes see that as modernizing civil service. Mostly everyone else sees it as eliminating it and giving Joe free reign over any and all hiring.
“Acting Chief Garcia has intentionally obstructed the future career progressions for Captains Porter, Fitzgerald, and Lougal, solely because they challenged her appointment as assistant police chief as violating the time-honored principles of the Bridgeport civil service system,” states the injunction request.
Not all divisions are created equal. Full Career Progression can be accomplished faster and easier in one or several divisions in comparison to the other divisions. Based on conversations I’ve had with Police force personnel, the easiest or less challenging devision is community services division commander by Roderick Porter until recently. The most challenging division/s is the detective bureau and patrol. I’d complain too if Captain Joel Gonzalez was suddenly transferred from my comfortable, less stressful and less challenging division to one that is the opposite of the division I’m being transferred from. I’m just the Janitor as I’ve expressed here many times before. I started working for the city as the first Graffiti Removal tech (day shift) on a grant with no insurance coverage, etc. About a year into my position, I was told I was going to be transferred per mayor Ganim’s order. A week later I was ordered to report to Greg Dancho at the Beardsley Zoo and would be doing zoo security at night. I objected to the change, how am I supposed to attend City Council and Committee meetings. I planned in starting a family soon and I’d be coming home at midnight, etc. It was take it or lose it. Patrick Coyne said that I’d be able to chillax and at least would be getting Benefits and Union protection. (Will continue after reader view OIB advertising)
Wait a minute, is this the same Patrick Coyne the photographer who is a good friend of Joe Gamin who got a job with the city who also got into some big trouble?
Joe Ganim’s Civil Service at your service!
Yes…
Joel, it’s painfully obvious that you lack any objectivity with respect to Acting Police Chief Garcia. I don’t know if it’s because she’s your friend, because you work at the Police Department, the fact that you are both Latinos or because you just like her, but at any rate you lack any objectivity with her glaring deficiencies with being in a leadership capacity or her Payback mentality. Whatever it is, your bias is showing!
Look who’s talking?
You’re the most one-sided blogger in OIB history.
You inability to show consideration and empathy is commonplace.
You brag about your bias!
I can tell you this, Garcia happens to be one of the many Police force members I’ve had a personal or professional relationship with.
Correction: I’ve had NO….
There are few females on the force Don’t have to know them all. Heck, I’d say many cops don’t know each other.
Donald Day, when are you going to attack the message and hug the messenger?
Joel, 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
Donald Day you’re one unappreciative dude. Of all OIB blogger you should be more supportive of policemen. The Bridgeport Police Department has a whole run named in your honor. Ask any officer if the a location called ‘The Day Room’. I’m gonna lobbied to have the chief change the name to ‘The Speedy Gonzalez Room’.
Correction: I’ve had NO….
There are few females on the force Don’t have to know them all. Heck, I’d say many cops don’t know each other.
They have no case. A Captain’s assignment is at the discretion of the Chief and they know that. Like her or not Acting Chief Garcia is the head of the department and until a permanent Chief is appointed (through a fair process mind you) she’s the boss and she calls the shots. So let break down some of the whining Captains careers.
1. Captain Brian Fitzgerald resigned from the department as a patrolman to go work as he thought in greener pastures with the Port Authority Police in NY. As he left the umbrella of the city he should have gone to the bottom of his class list as well as the promotional list he was on (Sergeant). This wasn’t the case he was allowed to return and was promoted to Sergeant costing another candidate to die on the list. As a Sergeant he shoots an unarmed man twice killing him because he just couldn’t resist getting involved in an incident that did not involve him while on an outside overtime detail.
2. Captain Kevin Gilleran another example of a good test taker but poor decision maker. Nearly cost a K9 handler his position as a Sergeant because he left and went home when told by the person that had been bit and never notified the K9 handler or the Sergeant that relieved him. Not to mention covered up a beating of a store employee by three officers on the east side.
3. Captain Steve Lougal he’s what I call a legend in his own mind. Suffered from the Pablito syndrome. His claim to fame is that he holds the record for most felony arrest in a year. What he doesn’t tell you is that most of them were of the b.s. kind.
4. Captain Roderick Porter a good guy his only issue was that he spent most of his career on the midnight shift.
5. Captain Lonnie Blackwell now this guy has had it good. Became a Police officer even though he had been arrested by the Stratford Police multiple times but somehow had all his cases nolled. Makes Sergeant with no time on the job and then is sent by then Chief Bryan (Gary Coleman) Norwood to sit on several promotional boards with no time as a Sergeant. Makes Lieutenant when he’s not eligible (Civil Service Commission had no balls) takes part in authoring a fictitious racists letter is demoted back to Sergeant only to be promoted to Captain without having to take an exam (City has no balls). So you see guys get over your butt hurt put in for the Chief’s position when it comes up and if selected you can do the same thing. After all this circus is ONLY IN BRIDGEPORT.
Fitzgerald was protected by the City Charter that gives employees the right to return back within a certain about of time, other city employees have done this. The City Charter calls for 120 days term to serve in a “Acting” position not 12 years like David Dunn. A fair process like AJ Perez had, Garcia will do what David Dunn did, by that I mean she’ll do what Ganim wants without being told directly, she knows that the mayor is pissed at the lawsuit. Everything you said about these 5 men has nothing to with there ability to perform their job because it did then they should be bought up charges.
Ron again Captain’s assignments are at the discretion of the Chief. Let them suck it up all of them have padded their pensions with o.t.
Jose, I have no problem with that and “Acting” Chief Garcia should have no problem in following the City Charter with Acting in a higher capacity of 120 days. Jose, remember Chief Garcia is not God and her decision can be challenge and changed.
While Chief Garcia is not God. She in not the type to sell her soul to the devil as you and the Day Room have stated.
This Conn. Post article makes it very clear that Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia’s action are retaliatory against Fitzgerald and Porter because they bought a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Ganim. Why was Mayor Ganim running away from a State Marshall? Chief Rebeca Garcia did her job with retaliatory transfers to protect her boss.
“Marshal details many attempts to serve Bridgeport mayor”
BRIDGEPORT — It took the better part of a month pouring through voter records, face-to-face rejections, numerous phone calls and even trying to contact Mayor Joe Ganim’s father before State Marshal Kenneth Lombardi finally handed Ganim the paper he had been asked to serve.
In a sworn affidavit filed in Superior Court on Friday, Lombardi detailed the difficulties he said he faced in serving Ganim with a notice that the Bridgeport mayor will have to give a deposition in the civil case challenging Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia’s qualifications.
From that first notice on Dec. 4 until the final hand-off Jan. 6, Lombardi worked to track down Ganim on behalf of three police captains suing the city contending Garcia wasn’t qualified for her appointment to assistant police chief.
In the interest of transparency I’m not a fan of Speedy Gonzalez, I’m more of a Road Runner dude. Although I am partial to Slow Poke Rodriguez who carried the biggest gun in all of Mexico.
Joel, I never insinuated or intimated that Acting Chief Rebeca Garcia owed her soul for her position as Chief. I said we know at least one Captain was more qualified to be the Chief and that Captain Roderick Porter was the only other person from the BPD that passed the original exam in the top three that didn’t cheat. I think she should have said I’ll pass on this position because I know there is at least one other person more qualified and when it happens to her she won’t like it and more than likely run to court to satisfy a wrong. I understand you Brother’s supporting the Latina, but you should be supporting righteousness because when the wrong thing bites her or another Latino in the ass you can’t say anything because you accepted it this time. What All of us should be saying is, do what’s right.
Don, let me say this about Rebeca Garcia, she is a outstanding police officer and I’ve heard nothing but good things about her but Mayor Ganim has placed her in this position.
Don, as you remember the Fire Chief made me a Provisional Lieutentant and I refuse the promotion, Deputy Fire Joe DeCarlo did his best to try to convince me to accept the position and I still said no. The reason was easy, you and I were speaking out publicly discrimination and the unfairness of hirings, promotions and transfers along with Firebird members and we wanted change. That provisional appointment would look like I sold out. I did become a Lieutentant by placing #10 on the exam.
*** I would agree with one of the blogger’s, weather you like it or not, the chief is the boss & anyone under the chief is a subordinate. Those bitching right now may win there protest concerning the past chiefs exam & the mayor’s present pick in Garcia but till that happens,” its transfer time”! ***
“Bridgeport staffer holds massive birthday party he says drew police”
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Bridgeport-staffer-holds-massive-birthday-party-15878188.php