Murphy Visits Police Department For Getting To Work Tour

From Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Chris Murphy:

Today, Chris Murphy continued his Getting to Work Tour at the Bridgeport Police Department, where he met with Police Chief Joseph Gaudett and officers to discuss ways that Connecticut’s next U.S. Senator can help spur job creation and the importance of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) funding. The office of COPS is a part of the US Department of Justice and supports the practice of community policing at the state, local and tribal law enforcement agency levels, through grants and information sharing.

After visiting with officers at the Bridgeport police department, Murphy rode along with Captain AJ Perez and Sergeant Robert Bigelow, who were on patrol. This was the fifth stop on Murphy’s statewide Getting to Work Tour, a jobs tour with a new twist: along with meeting employers, to talk about how Connecticut’s next U.S. Senator can help spur job creation, Chris is also working alongside employees at each stop to get their ideas and perspective on job growth and the future of Connecticut’s economy.

“I appreciate Murphy coming to listen and not just talk to us,” said Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. “The economy is affecting jobs in both the private sector and the public sector. It is critical that our next US Senator understands that for the health and safety of our communities we need to not only support our current police departments but to also add officers to the force. That is why we are so thankful that on Monday, July 9th, we will be starting a new class of officers, 20 of whom will be added because of COPS funding.”

Since the COPS program was created in the 1994 Clinton Crime bill, Bridgeport has received a total of 101 officers.

“I had a great time speaking with the Bridgeport police force today,” said Murphy. “It’s important for me to hear from who is doing the hiring but it’s also important for me to hear from employees. We’ve all seen politicians taking a top-down approach, telling people what they need, but this tour is different. Listening has become a lost art in government—but it’s what I’ve always done and how I’ve developed some of my most important legislation.”

Murphy will announce additional stops for the Getting to Work Tour in the coming days.