Politics in real time, law enforcement in real time. It drives filmmaker Don Sikorski to catch those action moments in time. Ya never know what can happen. Last summer Sikorski and his film crew shadowed Joe Ganim for what he hoped would be a historic mayoral comeback. It happened and was chronicled in City Wars. A few days ago for Sikorski, as executive producer of A&E’s inaugural Live PD show, collateral damage occurred in the scope of Bridgeport Sergeant Stacey Lyons who was featured on national television arresting a man for allegedly choking his wife. Just a short time later she, herself, was arrested for an alleged domestic assault in Trumbull.
Good people have bad moments and to those who know Lyons she’s a dedicated cop who did not take her own advice hours later. Policework in the state’s largest city is no walk in the park as noted in the real-time show. At the 44 minute mark of the video (see here), Lyons is in action responding to a domestic violence call.
“Domestics are the most dangerous calls a police officer can go on,” she says on film, responding to a domestic violence called in by a child who said a father is choking a mother. In the video Lyons shows professional humanity to the man arrested for domestic violence trying to cull additional information. “It’s a domestic law,” she adds. “We don’t have a choice … really dude … we’re really going down this route? … and now you have to start thinking with your head.”
Did she take her own advice?
Bridgeport Police Chief AJ Perez has placed Lyons on administrative status as a result of her arrest.
“This is really sad because she is a conscientious officer, a very good officer,” Perez told the Connecticut Post. “But you have to be able to control your actions. Anytime you get into a problem with someone you are involved in a relationship with, you should just leave.”
More from Dan Tepfer, CT Post:
During the arraignment hearing Monday morning, Lyons showed no emotion as she faced state Superior Court Judge William Holden.
The judge ordered Lyons to have no further contact with her former boyfriend and continued the case to Nov. 16 …
Trumbull police said they received a call about an assault at a Petticoat Lane home in the early morning hours.
Police said the male owner of the home told officers his former girlfriend, Lyons, had entered his home uninvited by using the security code, and then angrily confronted him about having another woman there.
The man said he and Lyons got into a shoving match, and Lyons left when he called police.
Police said the man had a minor abrasion on his right forearm and another on his upper nose. He declined medical treatment and refused to make a written complaint against Lyons, police said.
I respect police officers. They put their lives on the line to protect the citizenry. I have met some members of the Bridgeport Police Corps. Please note; I DID NOT say the Bridgeport Police Department because, IMHO, the Bridgeport Police Department ceased to exist with the interference of the newly elected Mayor, Joe Ganim, and the long-time poisonous leadership of the Bridgeport Police Union, Chuck Paris who has politicized the BPT Police Corps. Under Paris, the Bridgeport Police Corps has become a parapolitical force instead of being a paramilitary force. CHUCK PARIS NEEDS TO GO. IF I ever got into a position concerning Paris’ employment, I would work to get him out. A lot of nice things have been said about A.J. Perez. He may be a nice guy. But as of today he remains the ACTING Police Chief with no Civil Service testing in sight. Today’s police officers are highly trained professionals with many achieving College education and high-level training. They should be expected and I believe most of them want to do only their professional careers and not be political pawns, which is now the standard of the Bridgeport Police Union. In addition, Dan Roach needs to resign his position on the Board of Police Commissioners, the Police Board needs to be reviewed, new members are needed and the vacancies need to be filled. Mayor Ganim and the 20 puppets on the City Council, get off your asses and do your job.
Sergeant Stacy Lyons should have been charged with breaking and entering and assault and battery and like Lt. Blackwell suspended with the possibility of termination until a complete investigation is done about her behavior. Police are held to a higher standard of excellence and had she been a man breaking into the home and assaulting a female she would still be in jail.
I don’t know anything about Sgt. Lyons. I don’t know anything about the specifics of this incident.
But I do know as soon as I saw where Bridgeport was participating in this show, there would be great opportunity for embarrassment. I just didn’t think it would be this quick.
Here we go again. Bridgeport seeking cheap headlines and we got it.
Thanks Joe. Thanks AJ. Thanks Chuck. Thanks Av. Great teamwork.