From Dan Tepfer, CT Post:
The city council was expected Monday night to vote on a $125,000 settlement for a local man who claimed in a lawsuit he was the victim of excessive force by police officers breaking up a party in 2017 on Colorado Avenue.
Last week, the city’s Board of Police Commissioners concluded its investigation of the incident, firing one officer accused of using excessive force and disciplining half a dozen others. On Monday, the city was slated to end, with settlements, all the litigation against it in the case.
The incident at the birthday party on Colorado Avenue has already cost the city nearly $400,000 in settlements for four lawsuits.
In a letter to the council, the City Attorney is asking it to approve a final $125,000 settlement to Peter Diaz who, according to a report by the city’s Office of Internal Affairs, was the victim of excessive force by two police officers and a civilian detention officer.
Full story here.
This is the big issue for Bridgeport that the City Council is concern about instead of a new Police Chief and new training for the BPD so that there are no more lawsuits because of the action from in 2017 on Colorado Avenue.
There has been no public statement from the City Council concerning the BPD and a new Personnel Director, no here’s their concern.
The City Council Monday night will take up the Ordinance Committee report “re: Resolution for the City Attorney to draft language to amend Municipal Code Ordinance, Chapter 2.36 – Officers’
Salaries, Section 2.36.010 – Officers’ and Unaffiliated Employee Salaries.”
Ron,
I’m wondering if there are any black activist groups within the City or State that are willing to speak out about the injustices of Black Women on the job? Is there someone that you are able to refer me to that Is unafraid to speak up and tell the truth! Where do Black Women turn to to have support in Bridgeport? Just asking for a friend…..
Queen Princess, you asked me, “I’m wondering if there are any black activist groups within the City or State that are willing to speak out about the injustices of Black Women on the job?” Are you talking about one woman or a group of black women? Some issues you can bring to the immediate supervisor or to the union or you might need a lawyer, it depends on the issue. I’ve been complainting about the City of Bridgeport not hiring women firefighters for 12 straight years and nobody gave a damm about that.
I’m referring to a black woman on the job now who is receiving unfair treatment. Who should she turn to for help? Outside of the Local 834 who may assist a Black Woman on the job with an issue of sexual harrasment. (Hint: Supervisors, union already advised).
A good labor lawyer, please don’t expect that the mayor would or an city offical will help or the NAACP. If there’s a papertrail supporting this person on the job issue of sexual harrasment charges then take it to the media but I would suggest getting a lawyer first before they fired the black woman.
This is a crying shame and not indicative of what harm was done to the city.
First of all the sergeant should have been permanently busted one grade.
He should have been penalized 90 days vacation. He cost the city at least $125,000 plus legal fees.
And you can not put a price on the distrust that is felt by all the Bridgeport citizens of the BPD. For that all of the members of the police commission should resign.
Here is my issue: it’s a loss/loss for cops and citizens.
In the perspective of a police officer, if he was found guilty to have done what he did, he
Should be terminated at the very least and potentially in prison like the cops from the Beardsley park incident. But he wasn’t, so is there a chance that the allegations are frivolous and exaggerated? I think so otherwise why wouldn’t they let them go and charge them. Make them go through due process of the courts.
On the citizens end, it makes it look like the cops did everything wrong, but you didn’t fire them instead you paid our hundreds of thousands of dollars because it’s CHEAPER to settle than to go to court and fight a trial even if it hold minimal merit. The burden of proof to prove the innocence of the officers is on the CITY but it’s cheaper to make it go away than it is to allow due process. The cities biggest concern is saving money not proving who was right or wrong.
To be fair, the city does put away a piggy bank that rolls over year after year for these types of lawsuits because it’s cheaper to make them go away than fight them. Considering there were minimal lawsuits of nature in recent years the excess money was more than enough to pay for this to go away. Every major city does this, it’s a rainy day bank, because citizens know the burden is on the municipality and the municipality refuses to waste their time to fight it. I know I’ve worked with the city attorneys for years.
Enough is enough already.
And Lennie aren’t you going to post anything about that Stratford cop who made those racist remarks about BLM or that doesn’t matter because that’s all the way over in Stratford?
If it’s that important to you, you post it. Don’t rely on me. It’s a public forum.
*** You know Lennie, like doctors whom deal with life or death patients, so too do the police deal @ times with life or death situations with civilian’s. Doctors carry personal “liability ins.” in case of different types of mal-practice law suits, etc. City government along with the city police union’s, should also come together with each & every officer & come up with a plan to have “law-suit insurance” that would cover all these city P/D lawsuits that affect city budget money saved, city worker’s jobs or raises & residents that end up having to pay off in the end either through taxes, services, budget cuts, etc. What say you Lennie? ***
When will the cops of this lawless city, remove its knee from the neck of Bridgeport?
When will the lawless city hold its citizens accountable ?!
When they get a Police Chief that knows what they are doing and who has track record of leadership. There must a full study of the BPD so that the new Police Chief, who must be not be from the BPD and from the Bridgepot area but has from a city that mirror Bridgeport in population and the rac[al makeup of the city.
Ron,
I agree completely with you. However, our ability as civilians to hold our selves accountable for the sake of our communities and cultural development is not at the responsibility of the chief. For example, and please I’m using an example. When people told the chief “ we are scared to say anything in person because the neighborhood is watching us”, they created a 911 tip line. From my conversation with law enforcement almost nobody uses it. Even though is completely anonymous, it’s not used. We have a moral obligation to hold ourselves accountable.
As for the idea of chief. We need an outsider with experience and education. I’m 150% with you on that. Here is where my issue is with that and it’s on the city. The chief answers directly to the mayor and is expandable at his leisure. So if the chief who is experienced and educated recommends something that goes against the grain, he can be terminated. We’ve seen it with Gaudett. It’s not the mayors money so he doesn’t care about paying them out their contract.
We have to do an honest search of the best candidate and trust that their opinion and let them use their strategies. After a period of time come back to the table and see if those strategies are working statistically. I’m not here for the racial bs, I care about the crime in our city. I care about my community, I care about my schools being safe, I care about my ability to walk down my street and not hear gunshots, and I care about my property value. Criminals? Not so much.
Jo Salling, that’s why there must be there must a full study of the BPD so that a new Police Chief, the mayor, the city council and pulbic will know what the problems are and what corrective action that must be taken to give te taxpayers a sense of confidence that when they call 911 that call will be taken seriously. Gangs, gangs gangs, Jo Salling, that’s where your major crime issues are coming from ad you can’t expect a single mother or a grandmother to call the police when they are fearful of retaliation from the gang.
This is a total distrust of the Policing and overall accountability of the City of Bridgeport as a whole! The inmates are truly running the asylum at this point and will continue until the “Insiders” of Bridgeport decide to be “Do-Gooders” instead. Everyone swears by change happens over time, however this particular line of corruption goes back a few terms but has apparently grown tremendously over the last few years. When you have a party full of citizens and law officials both partakers in law breaking activities, it is a bad day for our American Society. The Bridgeport Community is suffering in the state of shock right now!!! Please help, I think The City of Bridgeport may need a mental health evaluation!!!