From Dan Tepfer, CT Post:
Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe said he had enough of people making complaints to the Police Department of pending crime, only to be told to go to the court the next day and file for a civil protective order.
… “This is not the first instance of this type of thing,” the judge told (deputy chief) Baraja. “There seems to be a reoccurring pattern of complaints being made to the Police Department and yet no responses are made, no report is made and the citizen, the city taxpayer, is told to go get a civil protective order the next day.”
Baraja responded that a report is mandatory in this type of situation and an arrest was a strong possibility if officers had responded.
“This is particularly disturbing because there was a call made when the incident was in progress,” the judge added. “There should be some policy in place because at the least what I heard could have been a disorderly conduct or a breach of peace arrest.”
Full story here.
I have never seen such repeated and consistent negative reporting of the BPD.
I think it has become pretty clear that the BPD is being mismanaged by Acting Chief Perez.
We need a,NEW permanent chief that we can have absolute confidence in.Confidence that simply doesn’t exist today.
“Judge orders cop chief to explain lack of response to 911 calls” that’s what it says in on the ct post. Cops not even going to crimes in progress wow!!! Lawsuit waiting to happen smh. Clearly this chief is not doing a good job at all and does not have the department under control this is unacceptable now that cops are not showing up. Bridgeport needs a new chief asap!!!! Couple years ago I got hit in the back from a car accident and it took the cops over 1 hour to arrive!!! Is there just not enough cops in bpt.
AJ has got to go!!!! Taxpayers do not deserve this. Seems like every week is something new.
So let’s just be absolutely clear, the BPD can’t respond to 911 calls but they have plenty of time to pick-up absentee ballots for Mario Testa.
Show of hands. How many people remember the efficiency study done in the late 1980s that concluded (among other things) the Bridgeport Police Department could have more presence on the streets if back-office work was done by civilians.
Efforts were made to ‘civilianize’ duties that did not require a sworn police officer.
A recent CT Post story told of a reporting compliance issue because the BPD had a backlog issue attributed to the police officers assigned the task of sorting through hard-copy reports. Can it be done by civilians? How about a temp service? Is it done on overtime?
Given that the city council has budget oversight responsibility, perhaps the city council president can have the public safety committee and the budget committee conduct a review of staffing expenses in the BPD with the goal of having necessary presence of officers on patrol duty? Make sense? Perhaps this can be done as part of the budget committee review of the charter mandated monthly financial report.
Instead, the council president releases a statement about racist remarks and performs ‘prop duty’ for the Ganim for Governor campaign.
In defense of the BPD, perhaps the available patrol officers were dealing with 15 year-olds stealing cars and firing guns. Emergency response is prioritized.
BPD would be more efficient if the office of chief was not politicized. Not that AJ is a dumb ass. He just owes his title to a convicted criminal.
This should be of grave concern to every resident of Bridgeport. My son who is legally blind was attacked by three young thugs leaving the store and had to be transported to the hospital and hospitalized for over a week. After over an hour in the emergency unit a police officer finally came and took his statement and told him before they could investigate he needed to come to police headquarters and file a complaint. WHAT??
City Council President Aidee Nieves and councilor Enida Martinez before you offer your support for Chief Perez and the job that he is doing as chief you need to listen to the voices of your constituents. They aren’t satisfied with the police response and neither should you and that begins and ends with Chief Perez.
Mayor Ganim and certain City Council members love doing photo-op with Chief Perez for something good but where is their leadership when problems happen? There are just to many problems with the Bridgeport Police Dept. and they need to be address. Police prioritize all of their response but the public and this woman did not receive the proper response to her call and the ball was dropped.
Mayor Ganim has a dilemma Perez, does Ganim sign Perez for a new 5 year contract to be the next Police Chief or will things get so bad that Perez has to step down and retire. Well, at what rank does Perez retire from, what is Perez actual position? Acting position are temporary positions by Civil Service and a employee can not retire with pay and benefits as a “Acting” in a higher position. So what’s Ganim going to do for his loyal driver during Ganim time as mayor before going to federal prison and who is now the Acting Police Chief, will retire at a lower rate of pay? Here is another bad problem for the Bridgeport Police Department.
“Bridgeport PD without body, dash cams for over 2 months”
BRIDGEPORT – Bridgeport police have been without dashboard and body-worn cameras for more than two months – roughly since the department’s pilot program came to an end. The pilot program was unveiled during a special press conference in February and crafted in response to complaints about clashes between police and the public including the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old by a rookie police officer last year. But in response to a state Freedom of Information Act request from Hearst Connecticu…
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Bridgeport-PD-without-body-dash-cams-for-over-2-13092428.php
Joel,
Defend you police department. That’s your job. Cleaning up the mess left by A.J. and his cronies.
And these Police Officers have the Gaul to complain about not receiving overtime pay???
Do the job!!!
Have to wonder if Joel has a clothing allowance. His uniforms must reek of bullshit.
Bob, I don’t quite buy into the whole story of this woman who stated that she went to the front desk and the officer simply said”wow. When a person goes to the front desk with an issue the officer can’t handle themselves on the spot, they are told to call a certain number on the phone located on the right side of the windo. One can call for an officer to take a complaint and wait in the lobby or they can tell the dispatcher that they rather wait home. There are cameras there and her story can be checked out. If an officer gets a domestic call and the assailant left the scene and is not found within 24 hrs. And a report with file number is taken, the victim mud then contact the DB make an appointment, have the police report and the a detective shall do an interview and proceed to get a warrant if the victim wants to pursue the matter. Police don’t issue restraining orders. Police dispatchers decide which calls are priority 1. If he BPT kid for example calls 911 because his boyfriend Steven is beating him with a guitar and the kid is locked in the bathroom. The dispatcher will as certain questions like does he have a gun or any weapons, if the dispatcher hears noises, screams , or Steven trying to kick the door in. The kid gets a priority 1. Problems with domestic violence and restraining orders. My sister got the crap beaten out of her a few years ago. Her boyfriend left her for dead on her bed, covered her with a blanket and left. My niece went to visit her and found her within minute from death. She had brain surgery done. Months later, I went to booking. I noticed a Black prisoner looking at me and he looked familiar. He kept staring and then I heard him speaking to the DO in Spanish with Dominican accent. I told my self that’s that SOB. Suddenly, one DO or detention officer tells the other to go down to the lobby and tell his girlfriend that she must leave due to the fact that there a restraining order and they can’t be near each other or else he will not be released on bond. The DO ask what her name was? M.Gonzalez my sister bonding out the MOFU who almost killed her. Before I went home, I went to get gas and drove by Tito’s and there was the SUV They where driving in.
Joel, I’m sorry to hear hat happen to your sister. Joel you gave a list of things that the police do, well why didn’t Deputy Police Chief Baraja tell Superior Court Judge Radcliffe what you wrote?
I agree with Ron. Why didn’t Deputy Chief Baraja tell the judge he will be back tomorrow with the tapes from the front desk area to show exactly how it was handled. I may not buy it either but for different reasons.
And let’s go to the audio tapes, again, of the 911 call to see what they say.
My guess is that this will be swept under the rug and NOTHING will come of it.
Working on a story that has been developing over past two months, first heard by a City taxpayer at the early June meeting. She owned a vehicle that was registered, had plates, taxes were paid and vehicle was moved regularly though perhaps not daily.
Someone with the authority to do so stuck and ABANDONED sticker on the car ahead that had damage to front windshield. And while at it stuck one on her Ford van vehicle also. The next day the vehicle was towed. She went to lot and found that she owed $250 but could not determine who had caused her vehicle to be so identified as ABANDONED and thus towed.
At City Council meeting on June 18 she appeared to use her five minutes to complain. She was introduced to the cheif, made her situation known and was told that tomorrow it would be cleaned up. It is six weeks later. Perez office has nothing to say and car may be missing from tow lot. Too much info about City process? Or too little repair when a mistake is made? Time will tell.
Deputy Chief Baraja said “we are going to be looking into this. We are going to be making some changes.”
How about some changes to the Police Commission?
Starting at the top. This is absurd. And if the council does not raise hell, let’s name a new Public Safety Commission, Ms. Coucil President.
Perez isn’t going anywhere, Mario needs a chief he can control.No prospective candidate for the job worth his weight in salt will agree to led by the hand the way Mario wants it.
Meanwhile,we will not get any comments from our “mayor” on this, he doesn’t want any negativity for at least the next two weeks.Wonder when was the last time Joe actually did any city work for Bpt?
We elected number of new council people an what have they done to make things better/ Nothing !!! Since when does a department head create new jobs with out council approval/ the city attorney id just that when he created 3 part time lawyer positions that are being filled by city attorneys that have retired and are now double dipping.
Judge Radcliff nice to see you ordered AJ Perez to appear in your court room and instead he sent a flunky how do you allow this to happen? He is showing contempt for you and for the court. Listen judge we deal wwith these out of control cops every day and find that to get any results we have to handle things our selves The cops complain they are overworked? i suggest they go to the union and tell them they want all of the sick, lame and lazy out on patrol. Tell the union they want the cowboys on horses back on patrol enough is enough . while I am at it fire all the members of the police commission
A flunky? You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. Of all the Deputy Chiefs. Barajas, is one I see the most and dealing with different types of issues. He’s a go to man for good reasons. While I’m of the opinion that Captain Strauble screwed up, I will point out that his absence will be a setback for the PD. The Captain has been of tremendous help to many past Police Chiefs, I think he’s been there on the third floor for about 15 years. If my mind serves me right, he started working in the Chief’s office under an African American Chief. It’s sad that most OIB trolls post such negative, hateful comments based mostly on blind ignorance.
Joel, you seem very defensive of people asking questions about the action of the top police brass. Was Captain Strauble on duty and using City equipment when he made the text? What is the City’s Work Rules and Policy on using City equipment and in using the type of language and what is the Police Department Rules and Policy on the same issue? Is this the first time that Captain Strauble has shown this type of mindset?
The person you are idolizing is the same person that is being blamed for racial comments. I dont care if he has been in the chiefs office for 100years he is a dumb ass and should be out with the troops and not cleaning up after the chief
It must be stated, first-off, that I have never heard of a Connecticut Superior Court judge taking such an aggressive, pro-active stance with respect to demanding accountability and efficacy of local law-enforcement management. Indeed, I can’t recall this type of pro-active policy being practiced anywhere in the US at any time, in this context… (I have not done any research in this regard, but suspect that it is very rare and not of frequent reference in the historical record of jurisprudence in the US…).
Just in terms of the boldness, rarity, and obvious, unparalleled, high-level of professional and personal conscience and competence that motivated this judicial response to Bridgeport’s municipal/law enforcement dysfunction, indicate that the highest professional and personal recognition and regard for Judge Radcliffe are due this rare Connecticut jurist from the citizenry and government — and his peers…
That being (necessarily) said: Having worked closely with BPD for over 20 years as a member and coordinator of the Lake Forest Block Watch, I can say that the improvement in functionality and professionalism of BPD — expressed in the form of very effective community policing/neighborhood block-watch programs, and neighborhoods returned to livability and vitality (after the disastrous 80’s/early-90’s)–has been on the wane for the past 8+ years, after having been on the upswing for the previous 15 years or so, having reached its highest level of functionality during Mayor John Fabrizi’s tenure (Mayor Fabrizi’s personal difficulties notwithstanding…). Now, the neighborhoods are again becoming increasingly unlivable — with extremely dangerous traffic, drive-by shootings, robberies, home invasions, and general disregard for civility becoming evident in ALL neighborhoods, with the historically “problem” neighborhoods regressing back to the hell-hole status of the 80’s and 90’s…
Judge Radcliffe, being a long-time Bridgeport resident, has a birds-eye view of our deteriorating situation, and obviously reached a point where his brilliant, conscience-driven legal mind forced him to astutely recognize that he needed to use indicated, legal (albeit, somewhat arcane, rarely-accessed) tools to address the statutory failure of BPD to “serve and protect.”
Judge Radcliffe’s actions should surely cause immediate and lasting governmental and political reverberations and reactions, locally and statewide.
Kudos, and congratulations, Judge Radcliffe! (It will be interesting to see what follow-up actions will occur…)
*** More civilian jobs @ the BPD means less O/T for the cops doing the job now. The BPD is much too top heavy & theirs far too many cops doing B/S work instead of being on patrol jobs or even just on back-up duty for certain type calls. This is why cops stay for 30+ yrs. on the force, pick & choose the O/T jobs they want & use the un-limited sick-call with a doctors note, etc… Pad their future pension’s anyway they can per city charter wording & city/union contract negotiations, & seniority on the job, plus promotions. More new cops are needed with much more openings on top, for promotions without over-stacking management positions with officers sitting at desks with 30 or 40-yrs. on the job just padding their pensions & holding up promotional positions. Same with the BFD, if the opportunity’s exist, the workers will take advantage of it, no? ***
Where is the BPD in cracking down on absentee ballots?
It’s all good. I have witnesses against Lydia Martinez, a member of her 137th Town Committee, one of Lydia’s henchmen and a 138th Town Committee member all in the JFK precinct.
All four complaints will be filed with the SEEC after the election on August 14th.
If Lydia is found to have committed violations of the laws governing absentee ballots, it will be her third strike.
A woman came up to my car and warned me that Lydia and her people are going to try and set me up. When I asked her for specifics she quickly walked away. She looked nervous. Hmmm…
*** Thats not BPD’s job, try the SEEC. ***
This judge was way out of bounds. He has no authority order anyone without a official subpoena. Even that would have been a a stretch in this case. I think a courtesy phone call should have been sufficient.
Maybe the pd should order the Judge to the chief’s office and ask why are there so many continuous in criminal proceedings that go in for over a year while the bad guy on the street.
Barry, I tell you what, I wish that no one from the police department respected Judge Radcliffe when he said that he wanted Chief Armando Perez before him pronto. Barry maybe you didn’t read what the judge was dealing, this wasn’t the first time that Judge Radcliffe has been dealing with and he had enough of the bullshit, people health and safety were at risk and if the police didn’t care well Judge Radcliffe does care and thank you Judge Radcliffe.
Barry, whoever you are, shut up with your stupid opinion and be grateful we have Judge Radcliff.