From Alex Gecan, CT Post
Though the city is nearly evenly split between white, black and Hispanic residents, the police department does not boast many top-level officers who are not white. Of four deputy chiefs, three are white and one Hispanic. Seven of 10 captains are white. Nearly three-quarters of lieutenants and two-thirds of sergeants are white.
The numbers do not jibe with the city’s demographics, but police officials and cadets alike say they only “see blue.”Still, City Hall is taking overt steps to attract more representative cadet classes.
Class 37, the current group of cadets, comprises 30 men and women, all but two of whom are from Bridgeport, according to a roster provided by the city. There are 13 Hispanic, nine black, five white and two Asian-American cadets, and two who identified as two or more ethnicities.
Full story here.
How many women?
There were infinitely more blacks promoted in the BPD and the BFD prior to David Dunn being given the Civil Service Directors position. He has been in that position for over seven years without the benefit of taking an exam.
Mayor Ganim, is the national search for a qualified and knowledgeable civil service director in your budget and don’t you feel, think and believe seven years in a position without qualifications to do the job is enough?
As for the white Lieutenants and Captains on the Police Department, most if not all of them first made the rank of Sergeant with less than five years on the job including the recently promoted Lieutenant Nancy O who first made rank with a year and a half on the job. They make rank that fast because they are allowed to take promotional exams with a year on the job and it’s based on test scores only not on job performance. So of course the good test takers score well because they can afford to pay someone to prep them for the test. Newly appointed Captain Brian F is a prime example of how to use the flaws of the promotional system that is the Bridgeport Police department. While on the promotional list for Sergeant in 2001 he resigned from the department to try his luck with the Port Authority Police department in NY. After realizing the grass wasn’t greener on the other side he came back. The problem was he should have gone to the bottom of his class and the promotional list. That was not the case he was put back on the promotional list where he was at when he left and the rest is history. Shot and killed an unarmed man twice, was an instigator when dealing with people on the street and just like the many like him who made rank with no time on the job became holier than thou. This isn’t about white officers making rank. Guardians President Lieutenant Lonnie Blackwell made the rank of Sergeant with about 2+ years on the job and then because the Union decided to get involved in who could take the promotional exam was allowed to take the Lieutenant’s exam without having a year in grade as Sergeant and placed first on the exam. He was also former Chief Bryan (Gary Coleman) Norwood’s best buddy who allowed the then-rookie Sergeant to attend conferences to benefit him in promotional exams and also allowed him to sit on promotional review boards by passing veteran Sergeants. So if minorities want to complain about the number of whites sitting in positions of authority then push to change the system so you should have five years in grade before you are allowed to test for a promotional exam.
Trust but verify?
Police Department goals were to have two classes of 32 newly trained available by end of June 30 2017.
First class started training recently since Mayor Ganim took office. How many started? Thirty-two? Thirty? Twenty-nine or 28?
A listing of NEW HIRES SINCE 12/01/2015 up to 4/20/2016 shows only twenty-three (23) hired as of 2/29/2016. What is the real number?
If enough of you ask courteously, I am sure we can find a public relations specialist to provide the correct number. It will likely be modified down and there are many more months of training before graduation and six months trainee duty.
Why did the Mayor’s budget indicate 478 Filled positions (uniformed and clerical)? Time will tell.