Sick leave policy revisions for Bridgeport police on hold

Noelle Frampton, Staff Writer (Connecticut POST)

Published: 10:50 p.m., Tuesday, July 20, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- A new sick and injury leave policy for the city's police department will wait another month, after more questions came up during a discussion Tuesday night at a meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners.

Lt. William Ron Bailey wants to put in writing the department's ability to request, at any time, an independent medical evaluation to confirm the doctor's note that officers must provide if they're out sick more than two consecutive days.

He says there are several officers taking advantage of the system -- sometimes taking paid sick time for five or six months at a time or calling out extensively month after month.

Bailey said in June the department had an unwritten practice of waiting six months to verify an officer's claim. But since Bailey received legal advice in June that he could go ahead and request IMEs, he has done so in two cases so far and plans to do it more often.

"It's nothing that I'm not doing already," he told the board on Tuesday. "I'd just like it in writing."

"That's our preference as well," said board Chairwoman Theresa Brown, who has expressed support for the concept.

Bailey presented the board with a revised version of the policy he showed them last month, when he first made the case for unrestricted ability to request independent evaluations.

He removed a 20-day period he'd originally included as the point at which an IME could be sought, saying that he doesn't want to wait that long in certain cases, and "simplified" the proposal.

But others felt it wasn't simple enough, leaving too much room for subjective interpretation.

"How far does it go?" Commissioner Edwin Farrow asked. "One day, I have the sniffles and you want to send me for an IME?"

Sgt. Charles Paris, union president, agreed.

"It's going to be too subjective," he said. "We are contesting who and when and why people are being sent."

Paris added that there is an appeals process in place for officers deemed by administration to be among the "excessive" or "chronic" sick or injured that isn't included in the proposal.

Bailey told the board he would consider history and patterns of apparent abuse before ordering an IME, but didn't specify a time period, saying instead he planned to handle each matter on a "case-by-case basis."

City Attorney Mark Anastasi said he'd like to see wording added that will also designate the evaluations as appropriate for determining whether officers are permanently disabled from their duties.

"It would appear to me that (the policy) is leading to the chief's efforts to retire individuals," he said.

Anastasi added that an IME is not a sanction against officers, but simply a way to get information, and shouldn't be an unreasonable imposition.

Anastasi said Brown suggested that Bailey and Paris work on the proposal together and try to reach consensus.

"I know you want to get this resolved," she said, "but I think we're making a lot of headway."

"Yes, let's take the time to do it right," said Bailey, adding that he will revisit and rewrite the proposal a second time and return with it to the board's next meeting.

K-9 team adds newest member, but unit is in flux

Noelle Frampton, Staff Writer (Connecticut Post)

Published: 03:06 p.m., Saturday, July 3, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- When city police Officer William Simpson first brought home his new partner, Balu, all hell broke lose.

The 18-month-old, 102-pound German shepherd made a beeline for the cat; the family's pet Rottweiler attacked Balu and Simpson's wife screamed.

"The hardest thing was introducing him to the household. That was a nightmare." Simpson said. "That really tested my commitment."

Balu was Simpson's second K-9 partner in his bid to become a full-fledged K-9 handler. His first, carefully introduced to the family in a neutral spot, didn't cut it in training because he was scared of shiny floors. That necessitated a sudden shift to a new dog, without the benefit of a neutral meeting.

"When I got him, he was just insane," Simpson said. "It was hard, but he's really squared away."

After 14 weeks of training, Simpson and Balu hit the streets last month as the newest members of the Bridgeport Police K-9 Unit, which boasts five officers, a sergeant supervisor and their canine partners.

They help patrol officers with building searches, criminal and missing person tracks, narcotics searches and more. Dogs' extra-sensitive smell, hearing and instincts come in handy, and their teeth help to nab fleeing suspects or encourage those considering flight not to bother.

Typically, there's one K-9 officer per shift with some overlap. And, rather than working a specific section of town, they respond city-wide.

But the members of that unit aren't the only policemen with dogs in the city. A lieutenant and sergeant have them, too -- but in a Twilight Zone kind of way.

Simpson joined the K-9 unit as it is mired in confusion over who is eligible for membership and why, with no clear-cut structure in place regarding what should happen to K-9 officers who get promoted.

Sgt. Kevin Gilleran, who became head of the unit in January 2008, lost his position as supervisor of the unit when he was named lieutenant last November. Pasquale Feola lost his place in the unit when he was promoted to sergeant in January. But both still have their dogs.

Sgt. Joseph Morales, the new unit supervisor, was promoted that same night as Feola and also booted to patrol, temporarily. Then, however, the more senior sergeant slated to take over as supervisor dropped out of training after the first week and Morales, who has seniority over Feola, got his spot.

Now, Gilleran and Feola are both patrol supervisors first and foremost, and use their dogs when they can and when a full-time K-9 officer isn't available.

The police union has filed a grievance over that issue.

Sgt. Charles Paris, union president, said in June that all eight "great handlers" should be in the unit.

"(The separation) makes training and ... the handling of the dogs more difficult for the officers who are not in the unit," he said. "Their skills are not being utilized properly. It's harming not only the handlers, it's harming the dogs because there are times the dogs are sitting idle. We do not want the handlers losing the dogs, but we do need to sit down and negotiate a fair agreement."

Promotional exams come around periodically, based on retirements and openings. Typically, officers who wish to rise in the ranks jump at any chance to take an exam, because it's anybody's guess when the next one will happen, and often the actual promotions don't happen for many months.

Gilleran, Paris said, wasn't told he was being promoted until four hours before his promotion ceremony, and therefore had little chance to mull what may happen with his dog.

"The city is not very organized as far as this is concerned," Paris said. "There's no policy and there's no agreement. In my 17 years, (Gilleran's case) is the first time I've seen this where an existing K-9 was able to get promoted and keep the dog. The way the promotions were done at the time, the city never gave the officers an ultimatum: `You get promoted and you could lose your dog.'"

Lt. John Cueto, a former K-9 handler who now supervises the elite Emergency Services Unit that includes three of current handlers, including Simpson, said it doesn't make sense to retire young police dogs or take them away from their handlers after the time and exp ense invested.

Police K-9 training, operated by the State Police at no charge to municipal departments, is no joke. It's an intense, physically and mentally grueling boot camp -- and some don't finish.

Because of the deep bond built between dog and handler, switching a dog to a new handler could, theoretically, happen early in the dog's career but is not often done, he said.

Now, people bid for the unit and are chosen based on seniority, which Cueto said "really isn't the right way to put a round peg in a round hole" because K-9 handling "isn't for everyone." The union is not willing to negotiate on seniority, Paris said, which means that, if K-9 officers were allowed to be promoted and keep their dogs -- the average working life of a police dog is about eight years -- while others with seniority could bid for the position, the unit could grow too large. "We agree that that could be a concern," Paris said. "That's the gamble the city would have to consider."

Officers care for their dogs outside of work and have to train eight hours a month and get recertified every six months, so they work seven-hour shifts on the street instead of eight.

"It's gotten complicated," Cueto said. "We're not sending these dogs home and making them pets; it just doesn't make sense. Ultimately, it's going to become a matter of negotiation with the union."

Police dogs are typically European-bred, Alpha males chosen for their intelligence, fearlessness, athleticism and "ball drive" -- K-9 lingo for work ethic. They're raised to be aggressive working dogs, not pets, and many have never bonded with a human before their police handlers. Balu bit Simpson a few times during training and that's not unusual.

Each dog costs about $6,000. Plus, there's the cost of equipment and four months of pay for the officer while he's training and not working on the street, said Cueto.

"Everyone realizes how important the dogs are," Simpson said. "We have some of the best K-9 handlers in the state, by far. You see these guys and coming and they save the day -- I always wanted to do it. The best thing about (Balu) is that no one can pick him up and use him against me."

A major in the U.S. Army Reserves who's seen his share of tough challenges deployed overseas and during 10 years on the police force, Simpson said handling and training a police dog "is probably the hardest thing I ever did."

But he stuck it out, losing 20 pounds in the process, and Balu came out the other end of 14 weeks of training in May fairly mellow unless his handler goes on the alert. During his first seven days of work, moreover, he performed six or seven building searches, checked the scene of a burglar alarm, performed two tracks, and apprehended a robbery suspect and a man who sic'ed his Pit Bull on officers responding to a report of domestic violence at his home.

Balu is not finished with his training -- his first year of work will be most crucial, his handler said.

"I was very happy with how he performed yesterday, though," Simpson said last month, referring to the domestic violence suspect apprehension.

And it's a bonus that, despite that chaotic first day, Balu is now buddies with the Rottweiler and doesn't bat an eye when one of Simpson's small daughters pulls his ears.

Bridgeport poised to ax workers after concessions fall short

Keila Torres, Staff Writer (Connecticut POST)

Published: 11:24 p.m., Friday, July 2, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- Two days into the new fiscal year, the city is finalizing a list of workers to be laid off and will begin distributing the notices next week.

"We absolutely have a game plan," acting Chief of Staff Ruben Felipe said Friday. "It got pushed back a little bit due to the storm" on June 24.

City officials in April gave each labor union a specific target number they expected to receive in concessions or givebacks to help close a projected $8 million gap in the $469 million budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which began Thursday.

Felipe said only "some" of the city's 13 labor unions have agreed to concessions, but declined to identify those unions. He also would not give details on what concessions have been agreed on so far, or whether the givebacks are enough to prevent layoffs in any particular union.

He also said because the concessions and layoffs were not in effect before the beginning of the budget year, the city's projected $8 million budget gap will need to be "adjusted" higher because the layoffs for members of two unions will not be effective until 30 days after those employees are notified.

"It's not a huge impact," Felipe insisted.

Fire union President Robert Whitbread said Friday he couldn't believe the city would move forward with layoffs after refusing to negotiate with the city's firefighters.

"I'm not happy with that," Whitbread said. "We made every effort to meet with them. The last meeting we had with the city they canceled and they have not contacted us. We never really got to sit down with them and go over the figures. We've come up with ideas that they don't seem to want to look at."

Whitbread said the city is asking firefighters for $1.5 million in concessions, or the equivalent of eliminating 21 positions.

Valerie Sorrentino, business manager for the Laborers International Union of North America, Local 200, said the union is being asked for $381,000 in concessions, which would amount to 19.8 furlough days for each of the union's 103 members.

LIUNA members expect the last employees hired by the city to receive layoff notices because members of the union employed before June 2009 were promised no layoffs before Dec. 31, 2010, in contract negotiations last year. According to Sorrentino, about eight people have been hired in LIUNA positions since then.

Last year, Bridgeport unions agreed to $4.5 million in concessions through furloughs and wage freezes to help close a $20 million deficit in the 2009-10 budget year. Only the National Association of Government Employees refused givebacks and, as a consequence, 53 of the employees that union represented were issued layoff notices.

Union votes “no confidence” in police chief

Police, fire layoffs threatened in Bridgeport

Noelle Frampton, Staff Writer

Published: 09:07 p.m., Tuesday, June 15, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- The police union is balking at demands for concessions from the cash-strapped city, saying threatened layoffs of 48 officers would risk safety and wouldn't allow the much-anticipated hiring of 20 new ones with a federal grant.

"We're not budging," said union president Sgt. Charles Paris, as negotiations continue between the city and its unions. "(The threat of layoffs) is a smokescreen. We wouldn't be able to protect the city if they let go 48 officers."

Still, the membership of the police union is so concerned over the possibility of mass layoffs that 80 to 90 officers showed up to a union meeting on Monday evening -- about 50 more than usual -- and agreed to vote on a related "no confidence" motion regarding acting Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. sometime within a week, Paris said.

Layoffs could throw a wrench in the city's plans to hire 20 new police officers by fall with a $4.8 million federal grant. The grant must be used for new officers, and the union contract stipulates that the newest members of the department, with 410 sworn officers, must be the first to go.

Recruitment for the new officers ramped up in March, and now the city's website states Bridgeport has scheduled a written exam for job hopefuls July 17.

"How would they recruit ... when there's a possibility of layoffs?" Paris wondered. "The other officers would have to be rehired first."

Other city unions are in similar situations. The fire department, for example, may face 21 layoffs.

Labor Relations Director Lawrence Osborne wouldn't confirm the numbers of proposed layoffs, saying the release of such details at this point "would constitute a `bad faith' bargaining effort on behalf of the city, which would be a violation of federal labor laws."

But Osborne said negotiations with city unions have been ongoing since Mayor Bill Finch met with union leadership on April 5, before he publicly released his budget, to explain the amount of concessions the city would need to close the budget gap.

"Negotiations ... will continue as long as necessary in order to either garner concessions, or make decisions about when and if to lay off personnel if the concessions are not realized," Osborne said. "The city has been very clear in its meetings with each union about the need for concessions in order to avert layoffs."

Fire union president Robert Whitbread said he hopes to maintain talks with the city and is promoting ideas for savings that don't include layoffs.

Unlike the police department, however, the fire department doesn't have a contract. Whitbread said negotiations are still ongoing for a new contract to replace the one that expired about a year ago.

The police union asked Gaudett during a June 8 meeting to discuss his position on the layoff threat, and the city's position, with rank-and-file officers, but he had not done so by a week later, Paris said.

Paris also said the union has had difficulty since November, when he took over as president, meeting with Gaudett to resolve smaller issues and this latest was the last straw.

"We're very upset about it," he said. "Basically, what we got back from him was that it was between the city and the union. We just can't resolve issues with this guy so we're definitely not going to be backing him for chief down the road. He's not willing to back his officers up."

In response, Gaudett said he understands the union's frustration "in these difficult times," but stands by his record as chief managing the department and its roughly $77 million budget.

"We have continued to move the department forward by filling promotional ranks, pursuing the `sunset' of the federal Remedy Order and maintaining public safety in a fiscally responsible manner," he said.

"No one wants layoffs, including me. The city and the union have worked together during past fiscal challenges and I am confident that they can do so again."

If the union votes "no confidence" in the chief's leadership, it won't be the first time. The union made that symbolic statement in 2008 against both former Chief Bryan Norwood and Finch.

Due to budgetary belt-tightening in 2008, the union agreed to two years without raises before a 3 percent raise due in July. "We're tired of giving," Paris said.

 

---

Search continues for Bridgeport police chief, probably for a while

Noelle Frampton, Staff Writer

Published: 11:31 p.m., Monday, May 31, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- It's been nearly two years since the city has had a contracted police chief, and members of the police department are wondering how much longer it will take.

The answer to that question is, "realistically ... probably through the summer," said city Personnel Director David Dunn. "I would be happy with September."

Joseph Gaudett Jr. has been acting chief since October 15, 2008, six days after Bryan T. Norwood, a Bridgeport native who was chief a little more than two years, resigned to take a similar job in Richmond, Va.

Gaudett is earning $119,000, according to Dunn. Norwood's annual salary was $102,793.

Prior to Norwood's appointment, Deputy Chief Anthony Armeno served 16 months as acting chief. And at least a year elapsed before the hiring of the two chiefs before that, Dunn estimated.

"It's never been a quick, quick process," he said. "It's a really important job -- maybe the second-most important job in the city, some people would argue. So the city hasn't rushed into those decisions."

The City Charter requires a national search for a new chief and does not specify a time limit that an interim chief can serve, officials said.

The charter specifies that successful candidates must have at least five years of command-level experience in a city 80,000 or larger, with a population that is at least 25 percent minorities, Dunn said. It also requires city residency within one year of appointment.

Gaudett, a 28-year veteran of the city's police force, plans to compete for the job. His late father served 23 years as a police officer before retiring as a sergeant in 1980. If not chosen for the permanent post, he could return to his position as a deputy chief.

Dunn said notices inviting applications have been sent to several professional police associations, particularly the International Association of Chiefs of Police and certain minority chiefs groups, where the job description was posted May 14.

The deadline for applications is June 11. About 20 people have applied so far, Dunn said. The city is offering a salary ranging from $109,000 to $119,000, with at least a bachelor's degree preferred, according to the IACP notice.

The chief is appointed by the mayor for five years, and his or her contract can be renewed.

Police union officials and others have protested the length of the process. In October, Officer Frank Cuccaro, the former union president, said a search for a new chief was long overdue.

"The acting chief has been very slow in making a decision in the department because obviously, he would like to get the job when it is permanent," Cuccaro said then.

Messages left Thursday for the current union president, Sgt. Charles Paris, were not returned.

City Councilman Andre F. Baker Jr., a member of the Public Safety Committee, agreed with Cuccaro.

He said that Gaudett has done an "excellent" job and has been remarkably accessible to the public, attending community meetings and listening to locals' input, but might hesitate to make any major changes in an interim position.

"We really need to get somebody in there," he said. "It's kind of awkward when you have some guy `acting.' You want the police department to move forward."

In the neighboring suburban towns of Fairfield, Trumbull and Stratford, the police chief selection process is traditionally much faster. Those communities don't require an outside search, however.

In Fairfield, the Police Commission has already finished its interviews of in-house candidates and may pick a new chief to replace David Peck, who retired May 21, as soon as its June 9 meeting.

Trumbull Police Chief Thomas Kiely was chosen from within, too, after being groomed by former Chief James Berry, who left that department in March 2004 after about two years.

Dunn said the Civil Service Department hired a consulting firm experienced in municipal police chief recruitment, Georgia-based Slavin Management Consultants, to handle Bridgeport's process.

The firm will vet the applicants and present the top three to Mayor Bill Finch for a decision, as laid out in the charter.

Finch, asked last October about the status of the search for a new chief, said he was in no hurry because Gaudett was doing a good job, reining in overtime spending and building morale in the department.

Other concerns took precedence, including the ongoing recruitment of 20 new entry-level police officers to be paid for three years with $4.8 million in federal stimulus money.

Dispatch center gets more static, and some praise

Noelle Frampton, Staff Writer

Published: 05:44 p.m., Monday, May 10, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- Discontent is festering in the city's police and fire departments as each tries to adapt to a new dispatch system that some say is working well and others call a mess.

Some rank-and-file members and union presidents in both departments are complaining of mistakes, confusion and dangerously long delays, while administrators counter that the new system has shown only the minor "glitches" to be expected with new software and staff.

"Some people are resistant to change," said Deputy Police Chief Brian McCarthy, head of administrative support services. "Calls are being dispatched the way they should be and there's no service interruption to the public. It's just a matter of teaching old dogs new tricks."

When the staff of both dispatch operations were converted to civilian employees and combined into one center with new equipment and software on April 29, both unions raised an outcry at the reassignment of the police sergeants and fire lieutenants who'd previously supervised their respective centers. Union leaders said the new civilian overseers wouldn't have the same expertise and the efficiency of the operations would decline.

City officials said the partially grant-funded Emergency Communications Operations Center would save money and increase efficiency in responding to the 100,000 emergency calls received by fire and police dispatchers a year.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli said he and other top administrators have been in regular contact with Doree Price, director of the center at 581 North Washington Ave., since fire communications were transferred there April 27.

Fire administrators have created a special form for dispatch-related complaints, and Petrucelli said Monday afternoon that he'd seen six or eight of them.

"There's a couple of minor issues that we've been addressing as they occur," he said. "But nothing catastrophic. We're just trying to work the bugs out. As soon as any kind of a glitch comes to our attention ... right away we schedule a meeting with Doree. Everybody's working together really well."

A snafu last weekend that sent firefighters to a stove fire on the wrong street -- Glenwood Avenue instead of Linwood -- was an "isolated incident" that could have happened before the changeover, he said, adding that the mistake delayed firefighter response by a "couple minutes" with little harm done.

Price said things are "going well," and she's worked with both departments and center staff to resolve issues.

"I think it's the normal growing pains of change," she said. "This was a big change for everyone involved."

The center boasts new computer and radio systems, replacing "antiquated" systems that hadn't been updated in 15 years at least, Price said.

Robert Whitbread, fire union president, said dozens of forms listing complaints about dispatch were sent in from various firehouses to administrators on Monday alone and more are being written.

"They thought enough of it to create a new document just to talk about the incidents," Whitbread said. "I think there's more complaints than they're letting on."

Police officers have also complained, saying dispatchers have lost track of officers' locations and delayed dispatching calls for many hours.

"There are some major concerns," said Sgt. Charles Paris, police union president. "We're keeping track of everything."

Paris, who has filed a grievance over the removal of five former dispatch sergeants, said the assertion that everything is working fine is "not true," but declined to discuss details at this point.

McCarthy said he wasn't aware of any major delays and added that, although the new system doesn't assign an incident number to every call like the old system did, it does number and track all calls.

New Bridgeport 911 center up and running, with some static

Noelle Frampton, STAFF WRITER

Published: 12:49 p.m., Saturday, May 1, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- A week ago, when Bridgeporters called 911 from a landline, they reached State Police and, unless they were reporting an incident on state roadways, got transferred to the city's Fire Department dispatch on Congress Street.

If need be, they were transferred again to police dispatch in the basement of City Hall.

But no more.

The city has combined its emergency dispatch centers under one roof at 581 North Washington Ave. and switched to a full civilian staff with help from a federal grant, hoping to increase efficiency, save money and update an antiquated system.

The fire and police unions, however, are hopping mad that civilians have taken charge of their radio dispatches.

Fire dispatch operations were moved to the new center on Tuesday, and police on Thursday -- not without glitches, but successfully overall.

It is the culmination of an effort that began more than five years ago and was enabled by a $6 million federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to the city in 2005, according to Doree Price, director of the new Emergency Communications Operations Center.

The consolidation -- including new equipment, technology and radios -- cost $8 million, plus $7.4 million in capital and state grant funds for the new building and another across the street for public facilities, in a city that fields about 100,000 emergency calls a year, Price said.

The police union president, Sgt. Charles Paris, said removing the sergeants who oversaw police dispatch 24/7 risks officers' safety and may result in more misunderstandings between officers and dispatchers.

Paris was preparing to file a grievance against the city Thursday morning when the changeover took place. It came after many weeks of negotiations and a two-hour meeting Wednesday between union and city representatives.

"We're pretty upset," he said. "We feel the city purposefully violated our contract. We're not going to budge when it comes to protecting our officers and our civilians and our community."

Lawrence Osborne, the city's director of labor relations, responded by saying, "We're involved in off-the-record negotiations with the police union regarding this matter. To comment would be an example of bad-faith bargaining."

The center is staffed by 31 people, nine of them supervisors with "extensive backgrounds in public safety," Price said, adding that staffing levels remained about the same as they were before, simply combined.

At any one time, there are two supervisors overseeing two dispatchers for fire, two for police, and five to seven call takers in the center. Eventually, all will be cross-trained to handle both police and fire calls, which will result in more scheduling flexibility and therefore, reduced overtime costs, Price said.

The fire union tried a similar approach to the police, fighting years ago to keep five fire lieutenants working in communications, but lost in arbitration, said fire union president, Robert Whitbread.

"We went through the same thing; we just did it sooner," he said. "We were not happy with it, we thought our people could do the job. They've got years of experience, they know the fire service, they know the town and they know our apparatus."

Judging by the hiring of retired police and fire personnel, Whitbread said, "They obviously thought that kind of experience was important, but not important enough to bring our people over."

Whitbread said supervisors will, at their top step, earn the same as a fire lieutenant's base salary: $62,000.

Price said the supervisors start at $55,000.

Most Bridgeport sergeants earn between $60,000 and $80,000 per year and, depending on the overtime they put in, some earn more. There was plenty of overtime to be had in the old police communications center. Longtime dispatch Sgt. Robert Bigelow, for example, routinely ranked for years among the city's top 10 wage earners with annual income well above $100,000

Paris said the five police sergeants -- until recently, there were six -- were reassigned to positions in patrol and one to permits, but didn't know their new jobs until Wednesday evening.

Overseeing communications and dispatch was, to put it mildly, not one of the police department's most desired jobs. Although some sergeants, like Bigelow, preferred working there, most would rather to be out on the streets.

The dispatch center is responsible for prioritizing calls for service, assigning officers to incidents and informing them of the nature and place they're headed. Dispatchers assess the severity of each situation, monitor the radio to keep track of officers' locations and actions, and call for backup if needed.

A planned switch to a clearer, encrypted digital signal heard only by emergency personnel has been postponed because some of the department's cars are too old to support it, Paris said.

Although not typical, tensions have been known to arise between police and dispatchers, and some have questioned whether patrol officers will more frequently question or challenge the directions of dispatcher when a sergeant isn't there to give a final word.

The new civilian supervisors won't have the authority to order sworn officers, Paris said.

"Obviously, the officers will do what is necessary ... but there will be times, I would think, where they'll be a concern that the civilian dispatcher will be giving officers information that is not proper," he said. "Things happen so quickly. When a sergeant's there, I think even the dispatchers are more comfortable"

Price countered that all of the new supervisors are well-trained and at least five of them are retired police officers -- three of them from Bridgeport.

She, Police Chief Joseph Gaudett and some members of the police department don't share the union's concerns.

"On the contrary, we believe that we are enhancing officer safety, as well as public safety, by combining our separate dispatch centers into one," Gaudett said in a Friday e-mail. "This results in more police sergeants in the field, where they belong, supervising police officers."

Price said across the country and state, many other municipalities -- including Fairfield, Norwalk and Hartford and West Haven, among others -- have opted for similar systems to help stretch tight budgets in the long term and allow "better" training

White cops get say in decades-old discrimination case

Michael P. Mayko, STAFF WRITER

Published: 06:50 p.m., Tuesday, April 27, 2010

A federal appeals court Tuesday allowed a group of white Bridgeport police officers to be heard on a proposed order to settle a 32-year-old racial discrimination case brought by black officers against the department.

It also gives the officers the ability to challenge any court action in the order that impacts their future by allowing Bridgeport to adjust promotion exams that are believed to be discriminate against blacks.

But the Second Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New York City -- consisting of Circuit Judges Jose A. Cabranes, a former chief District judge in Connecticut and Barrington D. Parker, who sits on several Yale University boards and U.S. District Judge Carol Amon of Brooklyn, N.Y.-- didn't stop there.

The panel questioned why the 32-year-old Guardians case, which resulted in the federal court overseeing operations of the Bridgeport Police Department's dealings with black officers, is still active.

Parker, in a strongly worded final paragraph, writes: "this case was filed in 1978...the world has turned over many times since then. Except in highly unusual circumstances, it is the business of cities, not federal courts or special masters, to run police departments. At some point in time, this litigation has to be ended."

The panel then expressed confidence that U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton, who is presiding over the case, "will look hard for that point."

"This is a poster case for so-called reform litigation run amok," said Karen Lee Torre, a New Haven lawyer who obtained intervention for Bridgeport Police Officers Todd Hoben, Jorge Cintron, David Garcia, Mark Belinkie, Mark Graham, Martin Henue, William Reilly and James Borrico, and for Kurt Hoben, who is applying for a police officer position.

"This ruling is another positive step toward ending a racket that has gone on for decades and siphoned off millions of taxpayer dollars, all squandered on lawyers and 20 years of payments to the judge's appointed special master, an arrangement the legality of which I look forward to challenging."

This ruling comes on the heels of last summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning a federal judge's decision allowing New Haven to re-test fire department lieutenant and captain candidates because no blacks scored high enough to be promoted.

There are some similarities. Arterton is the presiding judge in the Guardians' case and the New Haven firefighters case while Torre represented the successful white candidates in both.

The Supreme Court decision also led to Bridgeport settling a reverse discrimination suit brought by 12 white firefighters, who challenged the rescoring of a 2007 fire lieutenant's exam, which knocked several out of possible promotions.

The Bridgeport Guardians, a group of black police officers, sued the city and its police department in 1978 claiming racial discrimination of black officers. Following a trial, Chief U.S. District Judge T. F. Gilroy Daly, now deceased, found widespread discrimination in terms of the assignment, promotion and discipline of black officers. He appointed William Clendenen, a New Haven lawyer, as a special master to oversee the treatment of black officers within the department.

Over the decades, Clendenen conducted numerous hearings and wrote several rulings critical of the department and its management. Damages, as well as Clendenen's fees, were paid by Bridgeport. A $900,000 fine was imposed against city for violating court orders, but never paid.

"Throughout this period, the only constant has been that the police department...has been run under the supervision of a federal court and its special master," Parker wrote.

But times have changed. The ruling points out that 15 percent of the supervisors today are black and 32 percent are minorities as compared to 1983 when all supervisors were white. Additionally, two blacks served as police chief in the past decade.

"The substance of the Second Circuit's ruling is an encouraging sign of an end to this protracted litigation," said Betsy Edwards, an associate city attorney. "The presence of the intervening officers in the remaining stages of this case will assist the Department in moving forward with a shared sense of unity. The City shares the Second Circuit's belief that `the business of running Police Departments is not properly left to federal courts and special masters,' and is confident that the progress that the Department has made over the past year will continue and will justify the long overdue conclusion of this federal oversight."

Antonio Ponvert, the Guardians' lawyer could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Following a four-hour hearing on Aug. 6, 2008, Arterton accepted a proposed order to end the case, which includes returning authority to the chief in assigning officers to geographical areas, filling 50 percent of the vacancies in specialized units and hearing complaints of racial discrimination.

However, Arterton retained oversight of the order's implementation.

Bridgeport cops host open houses for applicants

Michael P. Mayko, STAFF WRITER

Published: 10:51 p.m., Thursday, April 22, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- People interested in applying for 20 available entry-level police officer positions can get a closer view of what the job entails at one of three open houses planned at the Police Training Academy, 405 Newfield Ave.

Sgt. Brian Dickerson said the open houses will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Several police supervisors, including Assistant Chief Lynn Kerwin, Capt. Robert Shapiro and Lt. Lonnie Blackwell, will address attendees.

"We are anticipating that because of the difficult economy, people, who otherwise might not be consider a career in law enforcement, are now interested," Dickerson said. "We scheduled the open houses to give them an idea of what to expect. In many cases, this may be a perfect choice for them."

Bridgeport now has 407 active police officers, and has budgeted for 427 next year.

Applications for the job of patrol officer, which pays $42,315, will be available at the open house. There is no age restriction on applicants.

Candidates will be required to take a physical agility test, currently scheduled May 15-16 and May 22-23 at Central High School.

A male candidate between 20 and 29 years old will be required to run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes and 25 seconds, bench press 99 percent of his body weight and complete 38 situps in a minute. A female candidate between 20 and 29 years old must run the 1.5 miles in 14 minutes and 49 seconds; bench press 59 percent of her body weight and complete 32 situps in a minute.

Those who successfully complete that physical test must then take the written examination planned for June 12.Bridgeport has been recruiting police candidates at job fairs, colleges and through announcements placed in municipal buildings throughout southwestern Connecticut.

Haitian police officer braves risk to help his homeland

By Noelle Frampton, STAFF WRITER

Published: 11:06 p.m., Sunday, February 7, 2010BRIDGEPORT -- He's a cop because he wants to protect and serve, not because he wants to be a tough guy.

But after eight years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, and 12 in the Bridgeport Police Department, Officer Jean Gaie is tough enough to face one of the most difficult experiences of his life in the service of others.On Saturday, Gaie was scheduled to return to his homeland of Haiti to continue his personal mission of giving humanitarian relief in that earthquake-ravaged nation, work he started last month on a paid leave of absence from the Police Department.

A Haitian native who moved to the U.S. in 1983 when he was 22, Gaie returned on Jan. 31 after spending 13 days in Haiti, where he found his father and other relatives alive, as well as handing out medicine and water to people suffering from extreme pain, dehydration and lung problems exacerbated by heat and dust.

He addressed the City Council last Monday night.

"There is no word to describe what I've seen down there," he told the council, members of which have donated a total of $3,575 from their tax-funded stipends to Save the Children's work in Haiti. The council is also considering a resolution to "adopt" a Haitian city.

"What you guys have seen on TV is nothing," he said. "Without a quick response from the U.S., we probably would have had two million people dead."

As it is, some 212,000 Haitians have been reported dead following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked the island Jan. 12, and that number may grow as more bodies are recovered from the debris.

Later, Gaie said those 13 days he spent in Haiti were the worst of his life. He, like everyone else there, slept outside with the mosquitoes because few surviving structures are safe -- he said people avoid even sidewalks for fear of toppling walls. And yet, he's going back for what he expects will likely be another two-week visit with support from city and police leaders.

"My work is not done," he told the Connecticut Post. "I feel like I belong there now -- my heart is there. I cannot watch these people dying like dogs down there and not help. I put my heart in it and God will cover me."

Gaie will act as a detective of sorts: the eyes and ears of the Haiti Relief Resources Office that has been set up in City Hall Annex. He'll seek out areas devastated by the quake where help hasn't yet reached.

"It's important, very important to give us an eye -- a view of what's going on," said Pierre d'Haiti, director of the office, which connects relief agencies and resources with needs in both Haiti and the local Haitian population. "We really thank Officer Jean Gaie for being able to step up. There are still places that are under rubble. The more we wait to help, the worse it's getting."

Gaie will help to direct relief efforts and connect them with people on the ground there, and if the agencies can't do what he says is necessary, the office -- which has worked to unify Haitian organizations and churches in the area -- will raise money to do it, d'Haiti said.

"It's risky down there, it's not a joke," he said. "The jail is empty -- all of the criminals are on the street ... raping women and children. You don't know who is who, so therefore you have to be on your best guard. Whenever I face a dangerous situation, I keep repeating what I learned from training: `I will survive.' Am I scared? No, because I'm a cop. The job can turn ugly. You might go to a call and not come back. All you can do is hope for the best, expect the worst."

Gaie spent most of his time in his family's hometown, Leogane, handing out over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol and Motrin to help people manage pain, headaches and related, widespread depression, as well as 200 masks donated by nurse friends in the U.S.

While there, he awoke as his outdoor cot skidded across the ground and people screamed to Jesus for help. It was a 6.1-magnitude aftershock. "I felt like I was going inside the ground," he said. "It was scary."

The father of five said he watched a woman give birth by C-section with no anesthesia and saw too many bleeding children with leg amputations.

"Doctors and nurses down there, God bless them, I don't know how they manage," Gaie said. "You cannot spend more than two weeks down there; you'll be burned out. You see too much in one day. Nothing is beautiful. The only picture down there is ugliness. Children suffering -- I hate it. Sometimes you feel like crying. You feel angry, you feel upset ... I will do as much as I can."

After all, he said, he carries with him the pledge to "protect and serve" his community, placing himself at risk in both Bridgeport and Haiti.

"Being a cop is not about arresting people," he said. "They look up to you as a leader. They hold you to a higher standard. They expect solutions from you."

Bridgeport sergeant promotions a family affair

By Noelle Frampton, STAFF WRITER

Published: 11:15 p.m., Thursday, February 4, 2010BRIDGEPORT -- When they were kids, Louis and Susan Cortello spent a lot of time together, playing baseball and sharing other interests. In short, the siblings had a bit of a rivalry, but also enjoyed a lot of loving support.

That hasn't changed much in adulthood.Nearly 17 years ago, the Cortello brother-and-sister team joined the Bridgeport Police Department on the same day. They each became the parent to a son 10 months apart. Then, they took the sergeant's promotional test together. Susan Cortello ranked sixth on the exam; her brother was seventh. When the test was re-scored after an appeal, he was sixth and she ranked seventh.

And last month, the siblings were promoted to sergeant on the same day, too.

They celebrated with their families Wednesday night after a ceremony honoring them and 18 other newly promoted sergeants in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.

"It's very exciting to do things together, to make our achievements together," said Susan Cortello. "We're a very supportive family, so it's nice."

The other new police sergeants include: Jason Amato, Michael Burdo, Angelo Collazo, Mathew Cosgrove, Pasquale Feola, John Gale, James Geremia, Jeffrey Grice, Edward Golding, John Klesyk, Joseph Morales, Ronald Mercado, James Myers, Nancy O'Donnell, Edward Rivera, Bradford Seeley, Philip Sharp and Luigi Tucciarone.

Each has a personal story.

Mercado was No. 1 in the department on the promotional exam. Myers is known for his work as a paranormal investigator. Feola and Morales are K-9 officers still awaiting word on whether they'll be allowed to keep their police dogs in their new assignment.

"We expect great things from you," said acting Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. "Understand that with that gold shield comes the responsibility and accountability of having people under your command. You guys are where the rubber meets the road ... where policy becomes practice. You're the caretakers of the past, the implementers of change and the trailblazers of the future. So I wish you all the best."

The new sergeants have all been assigned to three shifts in patrol, as well as the midnight and evening shifts in the communications and dispatch center.

After 13 years as a detective, Louis Cortello was assigned to the Strategic Enforcement Team.

Policing runs in his family. The family patriarch, Sam Cortello, is a retired Bridgeport detective with 31 years under his belt in the department.

He beamed with pride on Wednesday.

"I'm very excited," he said. "After spending 31 years on the job, they outrank me. Now, I have to salute them.

"They went on together and now they made sergeant together: It's truly amazing. To have one is an honor; I have two for my money."

The moment was sweeter for Sam Cortello by the fact that he, diagnosed with cancer two years ago, survived to stand beside his children that proud evening, in a room packed with the friends and relatives of the 20 promotees.

"I never thought I would see this day," he said.

"He's a fighter -- that's what we are," said his son, adding that he and his sisters were raised in the city's North End and grew up with ideals of community involvement and public service from their parents. "We're very competitive. We always strive for excellence."

The pair's mother, Dee Cortello, said her children followed in their father's footsteps.

Newly promoted Sgt. Collazo, with nearly 10 years on the job, credited the sergeants who had supervised him as a patrol officer with inspiring him to reach for his stripes and teaching him much of what he knows now.

"My sergeants were my mentors, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps and be like them," he said. "It's a great accomplishment. It took hard work to get here and I look forward to going out and serving the city."

Many of those promoted, like Collazo, pored over books, laws, policies and procedures for many hours to study for the exam. While just the top 20 on the list earned their stripes, others may be promoted later.

O'D onnell, a lifelong city resident, was promoted after only about two years on the job, although she spent many years before that as a civilian in the dispatch center, and assigned to her old stomping grounds in the center that manages calls for service.

"It's quite an honor to be given this appointment for being on as a sworn officer for such a short time," she said. "I'm going to serve to the best of my ability."

AFSCME Sends Sympathy to Families of Murdered Police Officers

Mayor sets 2010 for police chief search

Bridgeport cops join ranks of police tested for drug use

Bridgeport gets stimulus money to hire 20 cops

Cop back on duty after 'miracle' recovery

BRIDGEPORT -- Last year was like a nightmare for city Police Officer Jorge Larregui Jr.

Now, his life has become more like a miracle.

On Jan. 19, 2008, two weeks after Larregui had surgery for a broken right leg and nearly three weeks after his 15-year-old nephew was killed in a car accident, Larregui was cleaning his backup weapon, a Glock 9mm, at home. Mistakenly thinking the chamber was empty, he accidentally shot himself in the left thigh while trying to empty the gun. The bullet severed his femoral artery.

Fortunately, his wife and oldest son were home and called for help.

"I bled out," he said, explaining that his blood was thinned by prescription painkillers because of the recent leg surgery. "I was gushing out of both sides. I thought I was dreaming. I'm literally yelling to myself, 'George, wake up!' Then all of a sudden, I see the paramedics on top of me."

Larregui, now 39, was flown to Hartford Hospital, stopped breathing and was resuscitated three times, underwent numerous blood transfusions and more than 25 surgeries to save his leg and his life. He was in such bad shape that a priest gave him his last rites.

Fellow Bridgeport police officers visited his bedside and prepared to say goodbye. Later, when it was clear he wouldn't die, it still seemed unlikely he'd ever return to active duty.

But Larregui, a nine-year member of the department whose father is a retired police officer in Puerto Rico and whose mother

was a corrections officer, had always dreamed of being a cop and wasn't about to give up so easily: "I am not retiring," he said to himself. "I am going to be a police officer again. I am going to walk the beat again."

His brown eyes opened wide for emphasis, Larregui said he held onto that goal even in the most critical moments of his struggle to live. And, although he had to learn to walk all over again and used a colostomy bag for months, he achieved his goal to return to work last month.

"He's a walking miracle," said fellow Officer Angela Grasti. "God has a purpose for him."

A lieutenant visited Larregui with retirement paperwork while he was in recovery, but soon realized it was moot.

"When you're on this job, you learn to fight and not give up," the healed officer said. "You learn survival skills, basically. I fought hard to be where I'm at right now."

Larregui can now walk and run again, but retains nasty scars that underscore his ordeal. Returning to light duty in the department's property room exactly 11 months after his accident, he went on full duty in January but remained at that post until June, when he hit the streets again. He proudly works the evening shift, assigned to areas in and near the Hollow neighborhood.

"It's like, 'Why me?' " he said of the ordeal.

"Everybody tells me I'm here for a reason ... God's gift. I always believed in God. I think I wouldn't be here if I didn't. This is where I'm supposed to be -- definitely."

Larregui expressed gratitude to his fellow officers for their solid support during his treatment, including two benefits they organized to raise money for his family.

Last December, Larregui received the 2008 Officer of the Year award for his "courageous battle" from the department's Hispanic Society.

He wears a gold necklace bearing the words, "St. Michael Protect Us," and believes St. Michael, the patron saint of police officers, has been watching out for him. He also wears a tiny angel pin on his shoulder.

"A lot of officers didn't think that he was going to come back," said Sgt. Eddie Correa.

"I'm just surprised at his dramatic turnaround. It's a beautiful thing."

Bridgeport promotes six cops

BRIDGEPORT -- Acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. told the six police officers sworn in to higher ranks on Wednesday that they should consider themselves "mini-chiefs" in their areas of influence.

"We should move away from the idea that only the people at the top should do the thinking," he said, during the ceremony in City Council chambers in City Hall. "It is time to accept personal responsibility for the condition of our officers, the crime in our neighborhoods and our relationships with the community. These are extraordinary times and they require extraordinary leadership. There is still much more to do."

Gaudett challenged city policemen and women to employ creative problem solving and to be motivated by what is best for the police department, rather than what is best for themselves.

The six promotees included two promoted to captain from lieutenant and four promoted to lieutenant from sergeant to fill positions left vacant by retirements.

They are among the department's eight captains and 21 lieutenants, leaving five unfilled positions still at captain, 14 vacancies at sergeant and 12 at detective, said Sgt. John Cueto. All of those promoted took the promotional test in 2007, he said, adding that the captains promotional list expires in November, while the lieutenant's list expires in March. There are 420 total department members.

Newly sworn Capt. James Viadero, a 24-year veteran of the force, was the most senior officer to be moted. Generally beloved in the department, he was greeted with cheers and enthusiastic applause when he received his pin.

"I'm just very proud to have gone this far and I'm just very proud to work with the people I work with on a day-to-day basis," he said after the ceremony. "I consider them some of the best police officers in the state."

Viadero served in the patrol division until 1990, when he was assigned as a supervisor to the Selective Enforcement Team. As sergeant and lieutenant, he has served in patrol, Training Division and the Detective Bureau. The department's former spokesman, he is a member of its Underwater Search and Rescue Unit.

Also promoted to captain was Robert Sapiro, an 18-year veteran, who has spent most of his career in patrol, most recently as a lieutenant on the day shift, but also worked as a lieutenant in the Office of Internal Affairs and spent three years as a detective.

Christine Burns, Albert Karpus, Steve Lougal and William Mayer were promoted to lieutenant.

Burns has spent 12 years on the force, the bulk of that in patrol -- most recently as a supervisor on the midnight shift -- with some time working in communications. Karpus, with 18 years under his belt, has worked in patrol and as a detective, plus more than three years in internal affairs.

Lougal has spent his 12 years in the department in patrol. A member of the Underwater Search and Rescue Unit, he was recently certified to use the department's newly acquired ATVs. Mayer, with 22 years on the force, also worked in patrol, plus the Detective Bureau's Identification Unit and internal affairs.

Mayor Bill Finch, who administered each promotee's oath, congratulated them for rising to the top "with the cards you were dealt," and thanked them for enduring sometimes disturbing and painful experiences to maintain law and order.

No settling for Betsy Edwards

Click photo to enlarge

Associate City Attorney Betsy Edwards poses in front of the United States Federal Court House in...

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BRIDGEPORT -- Betsy Edwards loves a good trial.

After graduating from law school in 2004 when she was 25, she worked for firms that dealt with medical and insurance lawsuits for four years, but decided she wanted a change. Now, she defends city police under her responsibilities for the Office of the City Attorney.

Her first day was last Sept. 2, and she can still remember it. "I walked in and they told me, 'You've got jury selection on a police civil rights case tomorrow,'" she said. "I walked into a caseload of fifteen active cases."

Since then, the 29-year-old lawyer has won two trials, one for the Board of Education and one for the Police Department. She's also dealing with lawsuits from the families of people who died in fires in the city and one suit filed for a drowning in Seaside Park.

Later this year, she will have the "special opportunity" make an oral argument in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appellate court in New York City, for a First Amendment-rights case involving an animal rights activist arrested in 2006 outside of the Arena at Harbor Yard. The circuit court is one step below the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Most lawyers never get a chance to be that close. I feel lucky," she said.

Edwards is used to working more than 40 hours a week, which trials require. She beat out nearly 20 applicants for the job because of her trial experience for the $99,901 a year job.

Bridgeport has "such a

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wide variety of cases and challenges which you just don't see much in private practice," Edwards said. "It was definitely something I put a lot of thought into. This is an opportunity for me to do something where I can make a difference. I thought I could do something good," she added.

 

According to acting Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr., she has done well. "I find her bright, outgoing, competent, professional. I seek her guidance on a regular basis," he said.

Lawsuits against police are especially compelling, Edwards said, "because there's a heightened sensitivity to the fact that these are allegations against a person's character."

So Edwards put her all into learning about her new clients. In keeping with her background in acting, she did first-hand research and rode with police on a few shifts. Trials allow her to use another acting talent: improvisation. "I like that they force you to react quickly and think on your feet," she said.

In particular, trials against police present a challenge. "Your job is to communicate with people who don't know the facts, to make the average person understand what the police face every day," she said.

"I was hired because there was a lot of police work to be done," she added. "The city attorneys wanted someone to try cases."

Deputy City Attorney Arthur Laske III, praised Edwards' trial experience. He conducted the interviews.

"She has the drive and commitment and interest to be a trial lawyer," he said. "In our view, if you can try cases you can do anything."

"We try cases especially when it comes to police work," he added.

One upcoming case Edwards is relishing is the appeal by the circus protestor. It was a constitutional law class that sparked her interest in the first place, late in her college career.

She said her professor in the class discouraged the class from becoming lawyers and told them they wouldn't get constitutional law cases. Now, because of the upcoming appellate court argument, she wants to tell him, "I am actually doing what you said we weren't going to do."

Outside of work, Edwards loves cooking, reading and the Boston Red Sox. She has tickets for 12 games this season, 10 as a gift from her husband, Paul Edwards, an attorney in New Haven. They married last July.

So far, she is happy with her life and her job.

"It's a great opportunity. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to do this kind of work. I feel really lucky that I landed here," she said.

City mourns longtime official David Hall

BRIDGEPORT -- David Hall Sr., one of the state's most decorated military veterans and a member of the Board of Police Commissioners for a decade, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 69.

Hall, who grew up in the Marina Village public housing complex in the city's South End, was diagnosed in 2006 with stomach cancer, which later spread to his lungs, said Teresa Hall, his daughter. About 200 people attended a celebration last November honoring Hall for his years of military and community service.

Hall underwent treatment and his illness went into remission, during which he attended police board meetings. He was appointed board president last year, but his condition declined after that. He died Saturday at Bridgeport Hospital.

"He fought all the way to the end," his daughter said.

Hall's life of service started with enlisting in the U.S. Army as early as he could, where he spent 22 years, 17 of them as a Green Beret. He served two tours in Vietnam and was awarded more than a dozen honors, such as the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Vietnamese Honor Medal and five air medals, according to friends and city and state officials.

Hall also worked for Dow Corning Corp. as global corporate director of occupational health and safety, while volunteering on community councils and community center boards, and on the Democratic Town Committee.

"We're glad for the legacy he left through community service," Teresa Hall

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said. "He was a giver and he always gave back," especially to his home city.

 

"His spirit is still here, as far as I'm concerned," she added.

Hall advised many city officials, including Joseph Gaudett Jr., who was named acting police chief last year, and Theresa Brown, the police board's vice president.

"Professionally, I knew him to be a tremendous advocate for the police commission and the community at large," Brown said. "And personally, he was an invaluable mentor and friend to me. I will miss him, his charisma, his enthusiasm, his dedication and his wise counsel very much."

Mayor Bill Finch, who called Hall "a commanding figure" of "tremendous discipline," visited Hall last week.

"He had the strength to lift his head and say, 'No sweat, mayor,' " Finch said. "He was a very brave and gallant soldier to the end."

Hall also helped Finch deal with the Police Department when he had to cut overtime in half in the face of a multimillion-dollar city budget deficit.

Officer Frank Cuccaro, president of the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159, said Hall was a "very honorable man."

Hall is also survived by his wife of 46 years, BeBe Hall, and his three other children, David Hall Jr., Roland Hall and Renee Hall.

Viewing hours will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the United Congregational Church, 877 Park Ave., with a service to follow. He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, the family said

Union chief: Allegations against cop 'outrageous"

BRIDGEPORT--The president of the police union said allegations in a federal lawsuit accusing a K-9 officer of allowing his dog to bite a surrendered prisoner as being "outrageous...frivolous and untrue."

Frank Cuccaro, the union president, described Mark Martocchio as being "put in a difficult and dangerous position by Bryan Cascio, a persistent and convicted felon," and handling it with "the utmost professionalism."

Cascio and his lawyer, Charles Kurmay Jr. of Stratford filed the lawsuit alleging excessive force Thursday in the federal courthouse here.

They said that Cascio led police on a Feb. 24, 2008 motor vehicle chase that ended in the McDonald's parking lot off exit 22 on the southbound side of I-95.

However, in the suit, they said that Cascio decided against running from the vehicle when he heard Martocchio warn him that the dog, named Lugo, would be released.

Cascio, in the suit, said he surrendered and was sitting on the ground when the dog attacked him tearing flesh, a vein and nerves under his left arm.

"When the facts of this matter are explored in any depth," Cuccaro said, "the blatant falsity of the plaintiff's claims will be evident."

Associate City Attorney Arthur Laske III also expressed confidence that the case would either be dismissed by the judge or won during a jury trial.

Kurmay agreed that whether excessive force was used and whether the officer has an unblemished record are issues a jury will

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decide.

 

"The union leaders who vehemently protest the bringing of all such claims should realize that this is the third such lawsuit that has been brought against this particular officer for the claimed use of excessive force," Kurmay said.

Kurmay said he has a pending suit in federal court against Martocchio on behalf of Abdus Shahid Muhammed following a 2004 motor vehicle stop.

The lawyer said officers blinded Muhammed's left eye and broke facial bones. Police maintain Muhammed jumped from a moving car and struck his face against a curb.

Both of Kurmay's cases are pending before Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton.

Judge lifts Bridgeport Police oversight

NEW HAVEN -- A federal judge penned the beginning of the end of more than 25 years of court oversight of the Bridgeport Police Department when she granted it autonomy for the next 18 months.

In a five-page order released publicly Friday, U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton ended a required rotation of police officers through the city's geographic areas every 12 months, returned authority to hear and rule on complaints of racial discrimination and harassment to the chief, returned the appeal process to the Board of Police Commissioners and allowed the city to hire an assistant chief.

The judge also gave the police chief the power to appoint half the staff of all specialized units -- such as K-9, Mounted Patrol, Tactical Narcotics Team, Emergency Services and Scuba -- on qualifications beyond seniority

But out of caution, Arterton ordered Bridgeport and the Bridgeport Guardians, a group of black police officers, to jointly file a report on June 12 summarizing the progress of her order.

Additionally, the judge told both sides that on Sept. 1, 2010, she will review the steps taken to determine if the 1983 order designed to eliminate widespread discrimination in the department should be vacated.

"The Guardians believe this is a good first step toward determining if the Bridgeport police department can govern itself and treat its black police officers fairly," said Antonio Ponvert III, a lawyer with Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, a

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Bridgeport law firm that brought the discrimination case back in 1978.

 

But Ponvert warned "this does not end judicial oversight but, in fact, puts the department under even more scrutiny."

He said any missteps between now and Sept. 1, 2010 would put the order back into "full force," resulting in "many, many more years of litigation."

But Mayor Bill Finch vowed the city "will continue our efforts to make sure all Bridgeport police officers are treated fairly and evenly."

For now, Arterton removed several of the requirement the late U.S. District Judge T.F. Gilroy Daly put in place following a 1981 trial. Daly determined black officers in Bridgeport were disciplined more harshly, assigned to crime-ridden areas and rarely promoted or placed in specialized units.

Ted Meekins, a retired police officer and now president of the East End Community Council, was a plaintiff in that case. He experienced harsh suspensions, many of which he felt were in retaliation for helping bring the suit.

"It's unfortunate, but we did what we had to do," he said Friday. "I hope the city and its police department have learned from this experience. Today, we've got more black, Hispanic and female officers, and I think we've all grown and learned from this."

In the last decade, Finch points out the city hired two black police chiefs and promoted a Hispanic officer to acting chief.

"Judge Arterton has given us the opportunity to show we can handle our own business," said Sgt. William Ronald Bailey, the Guardians' president who also brought discrimination complaints. "Acting Chief (Joseph L.) Gaudette has met with us and knows what needs to be done."

The required annual rotation of police officers impacted the ability of officers to forge relationships in neighborhoods they worked, according to Gaudette and Associate City Attorney Arthur Laske III.

"The required rotation goes against every rule of community policing," said Laske. "The department can now deploy its officers as needed."

For the past 25 years, the court vested William Clendenen, a New Haven lawyer, with the authority to investigate, hear and rule on complaints involving racial discrimination and harassment lodged by black officers. While Clendenen will retain control of the roughly dozen pending cases, Arterton returned authority of any future cases to Gaudette and the Police Commission for at least the next 18 months.

This, according to Finch, will enable the city to save the money its been paying Clendenen for his work.

Under Arterton's ruling the city must pay $300,000 within 90 days to Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. Previously, the firm said it will use the money to recruit, train, mentor and tutor black officers.

Arterton also ordered Bridgeport to allocate $300,000 in six annual installments of $50,000 to recruit minority and females police officers.

"This represents a new day for the city and its police department," Laske said. "It will create a better environment for police officers to work and should improve the quality of the police department."

In a separate 25-page ruling, Arterton declined to allow eight Bridgeport Police officers seeking promotion to detective and a white civilian seeking an entry level position to intervene in the matter. All opposed the interim order

Under scrutiny, police records room reopens

BRIDGEPORT -- Police officers are working overtime to make up for deep staff reductions in the Police Department's records room.

In January, during the last round of citywide layoffs, four typist positions were eliminated in the records division and five other workers were "bumped" from their jobs by employees with more seniority, eliminating the entire nine-person records staff.

The only staff members left were Sgt. James Kirkland, who is in charge of the records room, and Officer Jonna Mack, who were left to train the five new people who took jobs in the records division as a result of the bumping process.

Because of the shake-up, the records room's hours of operation were cut to Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m. It was closed all day Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Kirkland and Mack also began logging a combined 48 hours of overtime a week, or about $2,443, according to Police Chief Joseph Gaudett.

At the end of February, however, Andrew Nunn, the city's chief administrative officer, sent an e-mail to department heads informing them that all departments must remain open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, unless authorized to do otherwise by the mayor.

"Recent budget cuts have led to departments requesting a reduction of public hours due to workload and staff reductions. Please be advised that the mayor has not authorized this," Nunn wrote.

As of Monday, however, the police records room was

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still open to the public only three days a week.

 

Asked on Wednesday why his department did not revert back to the standard hours until Tuesday, the day after a Connecticut Post reporter inquired about the reduction in hours, Gaudett said, "I was not included in that group. I basically didn't receive the memo."

The records room is now open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to Elaine Ficarra, the spokeswoman for Mayor Bill Finch, "Light-duty officers will be assigned regular hours in the records room to help manage the window and fulfill the public's requests."

Gaudett confirmed that the two officers assigned to the records room will not be logging overtime. He also said he may assign another officer to the division in the "near future" to restore the half-day schedule on Saturdays, when the office had been open from 9 a.m. to noon.

"The new folks are getting up to speed slowly. Thank God for Kirkland and Mack, and their willingness to making sure the work gets done," Gaudett said.

2 new Bridgeport K-9s walk the beat

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Officer Pasquale Feola, left, with Caro, and Officer Daniel... (Brian A. Pounds/Staff photographer)

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BRIDGEPORT -- Though the city's fiscal crisis has triggered dozens of layoffs, one specialized police unit has slipped the budgetary collar and is expanding.

Police dogs Caro and Cooper hit the streets in December, boosting the ranks of the K-9 Corps to seven German shepherds. Just last year, however, the unit was on the list of other police divisions that faced disbanding because of the city's budget woes.

The new additions mean extra officers with senses beyond human range. Since January, the K-9 unit has assisted in 11 incidents from drug arrests to burglary and robbery suspects.

"A police canine's enhanced senses along with their speed and agility make them an invaluable tool for fighting crime in our community," said police Sgt. Kevin Gilleran, head of the division since January 2008.

Even Mayor Bill Finch, who has had to impose the other layoffs, supports the dogs. The two were free with a grant from Milk Bone and the A&P Super Foodmart, which Finch accepted on behalf of the department last year. The city does pay for all the dogs' food and care, but State Police train the animals and their handlers at no charge, Gilleran added.

The dogs are worth it, said acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. They can search buildings, track people and assist in subduing suspects. They can find people or objects with their keen noses, picking up trails more than 24 hours old from something as small as a shell casing.

"Dogs aren't

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cheap, but they're very affectionate. I believe we are the largest single canine unit of all municipal departments. We're very proud of that," he said. "Think of the lives we save."

 

In one case in January, Luger, another police dog, bit and subdued a driver who police said struck a pedestrian near Bridgeport Hospital, throwing her in the air and breaking both of her legs. The driver, Darren McDermott, 37, of Claudia Drive, Milford, abandoned the car nearby and ran a short distance before the dog caught up with him, police said. His charges, including driving under the influence and second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, are pending in Bridgeport Superior Court.

The dogs' skills and dedication are two reasons Officer Pasquale Feola, Caro's handler, and Officer Daniel Gomez Jr., handler of Cooper, appreciate their canine charges.

"He's been very obedient. He listens to you all the time. That's the best partner you can have," Gomez said.

Both officers also care for their dogs outside work. That helps because they live with their partners, who serve double-duty as protectors and playmates.

Both officers said their families play with the dogs, who don't mind at all.

But when the dogs are on the job, they're serious. They respond to commands immediately, and can sense when it's time to work.

Feola demonstrated with Caro one recent day. The dog lounged at his master's feet most of the time.

But bring out the collar and Caro is ready to go.

When Feola held up the collar, the 2-year-old, 95-pound shepherd bolted up and placed his front paws on the officer's chest, slipping his head through. Then, at Feola's command, the dog lay back down. "If I get into work mode, he gets into work mode," Feola said.

A young dog like Cooper has a service life of five to seven years if he doesn't get injured, and all the dogs in the unit are young, Gilleran said.

But keeping the canines can be difficult. After passing a boot-camp style four months of training with the state police, they have to train eight hours a month and get recertified every six months, Gilleran said.

The recertification is free through the state police and they are paid for their required eight hours of training per month, he added.

The boot camp puts the human-canine team through mental and physical challenges. Dogs have to overcome some instincts like fear of walking on different types of surfaces or into dark places.

The humans also have to learn everything about their dogs.They also had to carry the animals while running and learn to give them cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

"They actually teach you to teach your dog," Feola said. Of 17 human and canine partners, 15 passed the course that Feola and Gomez took.

The other handlers and their dogs include Gilleran and Titus; Mark Martocchio and Luger; Joseph Morales and Riko; Heriberto Rodriguez and Sampson; and Andres Talavera and Recon. One dog and handler is on every eight-hour shift, Gilleran said.

The dogs can also be cross-trained to sniff out drugs. Riko has that skill and Gilleran said he hopes to have two more trained. Riko has worked on four drug cases that resulted in arrests.

"The Bridgeport Police K-9 Corps provides a valuable resource to the community," Gilleran said.

Bridgeport union agrees to furloughs, wage freeze By Linda Conner Lambeck STAFF WRITER Updated: 01/27/2009 10:58:34 PM EST BRIDGEPORT -- A city union representing school and municipal employees has ratified a new four-year contract that freezes wages for two years and requires workers to take a five-day, unpaid furlough. The agreement reached with Local 1522, Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, was announced Tuesday by city officials. The union represents 761 workers. The deal freezes salary increases for the first two years. In the final two years, salaries increase by 2.5 percent every six months from July 1, 2010, through Jan. 1, 2012. In addition, union members will take five days off without pay between now and the end of the school year in June 2009. Altogether, the concessions amount to $1.15 million in savings, said city Budget Director Thomas Sherwood. On the school side, Sherwood said there should be $613,000 in savings when salaries paid by grants are factored out. Robert Henry, chief of staff for the school system, challenged that figure, saying the savings is closer to $500,000. A tentative agreement was reached Jan. 16 between the city and union leaders, and the contract was ratified late last week. It next goes to the City Council for review. Anna Montalvo, president of Local 1522, did not return repeated phone calls for comment. Although 642 of the union's employees work for the school system as classroom and library aides, special education van drivers and clerical workers, the contract Advertisement is negotiated by the city. On the city side, the union represents about 119 sanitation, parks, road and recycling workers. On average, Local 1522 workers make about $33,000 a year.   Roughly one-third of Local 1522 employees are paid from state and federal grants. The city cannot recoup savings realized by the zero-salary increase and furloughs for those employees. Sherwood suggested the Board of Education still might be able to keep those dollars and spend them on other school expenses. As part of the deal, there would be no layoffs of collective-bargaining unit employees through June 30, 2010. Adam Wood, chief of staff for Mayor Bill Finch, called the negotiations long but fair to the workers. He said that when raises do kick in, so does a health benefit reopener that could affect employee premium costs. Henry said the no-layoff clause potentially hampers the flexibility of the school board in making budget decisions best for the students. The board is facing the strong possibility of zero-budget increases from the city and state in the next fiscal year. Sherwood said that if the AFSCME workers aren't getting raises and aren't adding to the cost, "why should you have to cut them?" Already, 61 school employees, including Supt. of Schools John Ramos and his top administrators, have agreed to take furloughs of up to five days once the board approves a giveback package. Other school employees who have agreed to take furloughs include 21 tradespeople, seven department coordinators and 26 unaffiliated workers. Henry told the board Monday that the Bridgeport Education Association, which represents city teachers, has decided not to negotiate any concessions. A five-day furlough among teachers could have reaped $4.4 million in savings, according to school officials. Sherwood said teachers still have an option to come back to the table and bargain. Also, no concessions have come from the Bridgeport Council of Administrators and Supervisors, which represents school principals and other middle managers. So far, the school system has identified $2 million in potential savings toward a city request that it not spend $7 million of the $215 million budget it was given for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Mayor Bill Finch is seeking the $7 million to help plug a projected $20 million deficit in the city budget this fiscal year.

New police squad hits the streets By Aaron Leo Staff writer Updated: 01/13/2009 04:25:20 PM EST BRIDGEPORT -- A revamped Neighborhood Enforcement Team is back on the streets. The goal of the Strategic Enforcement Team, or SET, is similar to NET, which targeted quality-of-life issues one neighborhood at a time. This time, four officers from the 12-officer team will be assigned to three sectors encompassing the city, said Detective Keith Bryant, the police spokesman. "They'll be covering the entire city while they're on," Bryant said. NET lasted nearly two years, focusing on things like breaks-ins and illegal drug sales in a particular neighborhood, as well as speeding or liquor sales to minors. The squad also organized informational sessions with liquor store and bar owners and area colleges in an effort to head off problems with underage drinking. The squad also was generally accompanied by a probation officer to crack down on offenders who had violated their probation. NET officers, in an effort to foster trust with people in their neighborhood beats, handed out their cell phone so residents could contact them any time. The new team has two officers who had served with NET: Jessi Pizarro and Arthur Calvao. The officer in charge of SET is Lt. Stephen Shuck, and Sgt. John Evans is supervisor. Officers Gilberto Del Valle, Ramon Garcia, Edward Golding, Luis Gutierrez, Joseph Liskiewicz, Benjamin Mauro, Gabriel Meszaros and Gerardo Ortiz make up the rest of the team. Establishment of NET during the administration of Chief Bryan Advertisement Norwood had touched off controversy within the Police Department. The police union objected to Norwood's selection of officers for the squad without regard to seniority prerogatives as defined in the union's contract.   Meanwhile, the Detective Bureau has increased its ranks, bringing it to its full complement of 35. Nine officers were recently named provisional detectives: David Garcia, Todd Hoben, Martin Heanue, John Burke, William Reilly, Mark Graham, Mark Belinkie, James Borrico and James Kennedy Jr. Provisional is a temporary title, given to the nine because of ongoing litigation over the hiring list based on the Sept. 9, 2006, exam. The grading system was changed and the list reformed twice, but a Superior Court judge threw out the two later lists. He ruled the third list had an adverse impact on African-American candidates and violated federal law.

Bridgeport police contract wins final OK

BRIDGEPORT -- A new police contract that defers raises for two years and contributes $824,000 toward reducing this year's $20 million deficit has won final approval from the City Council.

While the wage pact for the Police Department's 434 officers passed unanimously Monday night, several council members worried the city will face millions in expenses in year three and four of the contract.

The police union narrowly approved the contract last month.

The contract, which avoids threatened police layoffs, calls for no raises in the first two years and 6 and 5 percent raises in the last two years. Those raises add up to $2.5 million over the two-year period.

"I can't vote for a contract that's going to increase taxes without knowing where the money is coming from," said council member James Holloway, D-139, who later voted for the pact. "This is going to kick in and the city is going to have to find the money."

Mayor Bill Finch conceded the pact represents "a bit of a risk, considering the current climate. But I believe we have to preserve public safety. No one knows what's around the corner. But it's a reasoned man's approach to do this."

"Taxpayers fear what year three will bring," added council member Bob Walsh, D-132. "They don't see a plan for how we get to year three and four. I, too, fear what the future will hold."

Finch said his plan is simple. "If it means cutting other parts of the budget to maintain police and fire,

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I will present a budget that does that," the mayor said.

 

"We are skating on thin ice and fighting hard not to lose financial control to the state," Finch added, referring to possible imposition of a state financial review board if the city does not end the fiscal year in the black.

The Finch administration has sought to convince municipal unions to give back $4.5 million in scheduled raises or other benefits this year to help close the deficit, and the mayor is about halfway toward meeting his goal. Negotiations are under way with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the city's biggest union, which is being asked for $1.2 million in givebacks.

The city has found about $5.2 million in other savings this fiscal year, and asked the Board of Education to return $7 million. If school officials do not meet that request, the city may be forced to make another round of layoffs.

'No-raise' police pact nears approval

BRIDGEPORT -- A police union contract, giving officers no raises through June 2010, is almost official after passing the City Council's Contract Committee Tuesday night.

The proposed four-year pact, which Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 members approved by 15 votes, may save the city $800,000 in the current fiscal year. In the third year of the contract, officers would get a 6 percent raise, followed by a 5 percent boost in the fourth and final year.

The contract now goes to the full council for review.

"I think this is the best we can do given the national financial crisis," said Officer Frank Cuccaro, union president, who attended the meeting in City Hall.

The pact would also prevent the layoffs of nine rookies. Widespread layoffs are one cost-saving measure Mayor Bill Finch implemented since learning of a looming $20 million city budget deficit.

The mayor also has asked for concessions from all city unions, and Cuccaro said the police union "played our part" in helping resolve the deficit.

The result of not negotiating could have been worse, as 51 members of the National Association of Government Employees were issued layoff notices earlier this week after making no concessions.

The police union did battle the mayor's requests with public protests and a no-confidence vote, but the friction subsided with the resignation of Chief Bryan T. Norwood and the appointment of Deputy Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. as acting chief in

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October.

 

Gaudett, who as chief is not part of the union, endorsed the pact.

"I think this gives an opportunity to move forward. We were stuck for a long time," he said.

The pact saves the city money in the short run, but the future is uncertain, said Tom Sherwood, who runs the Office of Policy and Management.

"Today, it's the best we can do. All we can do is hope that the region, the country changes," he said.

Department morale, in the face of no raises, concerned committee member Carlos Silva, D-136.

But Cuccaro replied it is the best deal on the table for now. "It's obvious that the men and women want the money now. It was a hard sell. It was very contentious. Hopefully by next month we'll boost everybody's morale," he said.

Asked if the lack of raises might force out some of the 80 officers eligible for retirement in January, Cuccaro said retirement pay for a city patrol officer, $27,500 a year, is too low to live on in Connecticut.

"Trust me, nobody's leaving. I would say don't count on a mass exodus," he said.

Meanwhile, one city union, the Bridgeport Fire Fighters Association Local 834, has a contract until June 30, 2009. Union President Robert Whitbread has been following negotiations with others.

BridgeportNews.com EXPANDED STORY: Police union narrowly approves new labor contract

Monday, December 01, 2008

Mayor Bill Finch is hoping the police union’s approval of a new four-year contract will encourage other municipal employee unions to also settle their contracts. “We appreciate the leadership the police union gave us,” Finch said. Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 members voted to approve the contract by the narrow margin of 156-141 on Monday night. The proposed contract still must be approved by the City Council, which appears likely. It would be retroactive to July 1 of this year, when the city’s 2008-09 fiscal year began. The police contract calls for zero-percent raises for the next two years, followed by 5.7% in year three and 4.8% in year four. The raises in years three and four would be implemented in half-year intervals: At 3% each in July and January of 2010-11, and 2.5% each in July and January of 2011-12. Also, officers’ take-home vehicles would be eliminated at the discretion of the police chief, and holiday and vacation time payments would not be paid in the current fiscal year but paid in the future. In addition, the planned layoffs of nine police officers would be rescinded. No changes would be made in police officers’ health-care benefits, but this issue would be up for discussion in two years in a so-called “re-opener,” according to the proposed contract. Finch’s stated goals in contract negotiations with the police unions and other unions has been to get zero-percent pay raises, higher employee health-care premium and service co-payments, and a reduction in take-home vehicles. He appears to have met two of those goals, with no givebacks on health-care benefits from the police at this time. However, the pay raises work out to an average of more than 2.5% annually over four years, which has generated some limited criticism from other public officials. Still, Finch said the contract will save the city considerable money in the short term to help close the potential $20 million budget gap in the current budget. He said the police contract could save the city about $1 million in 2008-09, on top of the zero-percent pay raises, mostly by putting off holiday and vacation time payments and eliminating many take-home cars. He also predicted savings would be found by allowing police administrators to implement better management practices that would lower overtime costs and lead to other efficiencies. “We have to get through this year,” Finch said Monday night. “That’s the focus. Nothing about the city’s finances is easy. Plus, public safety is a priority. You don’t have anything if you’re not safe.” Finch is seeking concessions from all city unions. Seven other union contracts have lapsed and are in negotiations. The mayor also is asking unions with existing contracts to make givebacks, such as the firefighters union. The Board of Education also is working with its employee unions to try to find labor contract savings.

Bridgeport cop contract passes by 15 votes Bridgeport cops agree to forgo raises for 2 years By AARON LEO Staff writer Updated: 12/02/2008 12:38:15 AM EST BRIDGEPORT -- Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 narrowly ratified a four-year contract Monday that gives no raises for the first two years, but rescinds laying off nine officers. The vote was 156-141 out of 423 union members eligible to cast ballots. The voting took place at the Miamogue Yacht Club on Seaview Avenue during the day and evening. "We made out OK considering the national economic crisis," said Officer Frank Cuccaro, union president. The pact, which must now go before the City Council for approval, is expected to save the city $800,000 in the current fiscal year, Elaine Ficarra, spokeswoman for Mayor Bill Finch, said in an e-mailed statement Monday night. She said the deal includes no raises for the next two years, followed by 5.7 percent raises in year three and 4.8 percent in year four. The raises in years three and four will be implemented in half-year intervals. Also, take-home vehicles are to be eliminated at the discretion of the police chief, and holiday and vacation time payments will not be paid in the current fiscal year, she said. Cuccaro disagreed with the figures on the raises for years three and four. He said they were 6 percent and 5 percent respectively. "This contract is a good thing for the city and for the police union, and will provide the city with significant savings during the next two fiscal years. Their action is a terrific example of how the unions can work together with the city to effect Advertisement budget savings, especially in the turbulent economic times we are facing," Finch said in the statement.   The previous contract expired last July 1, the beginning of the current fiscal year. Most contracts expire at the end of the fiscal year. Bridgeport is facing a $20 million budget deficit, and Finch has asked for union givebacks totaling $8.9 million to help plug the hole. He had called for laying off 10 high-ranking officers, one of whom later retired. But the remaining nine could have "bumped" lower-ranking officers, trickling down to the newest officers, a class of recruits sworn in two months ago. The savings from the elimination of take-home cars, Finch has said, are expected to total anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, depending on how many miles the officers drove the city vehicles for personal use. Savings may also come from acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr.'s new personnel deployment plan aimed at reducing overtime, Ficarra said.

Bridgeport cop also on the paranormal beat By AARON LEO Staff writer Updated: 11/29/2008 10:23:37 PM EST Watch Officer Myers' slideshow Click photo to enlarge James Myers, left, stands with pyschic researchers Lorraine Warren and Tony Spera. « 1 2 3 » After patrolling Bridgeport for 11 years, Police Officer James Myers has found another calling: the spiritual realm. Break-ins at the downtown complex of the shuttered Savoy Hotel and the Poli Palace/Majestic theaters got him inside the rundown buildings, where he took photos, an old hobby for the 38-year-old father of three. But these photos were different from other abandoned buildings he's shot. "Things started to show up on my camera," he said. Not just anything: orbs, which indicate the presence of spiritual energy. And lots them. Then a chance meeting in Bridgeport Hospital with famed psychic and Monroe resident Lorraine Warren set him on the path to becoming a paranormal researcher. While working there, he heard Warren, 81, was a patient and approached her. She knew his name before he introduced himself. As Myers recalled: "She said, 'Jimmy, how are you?'" Since then, in his spare time, Myers has been assisting Warren and her son-in-law, Tony Spera, with investigations for the A&E network's show "Paranormal State." He helps interview people and collect data with recording equipment. "They are pretty much calling me their psychic photographer," Myers said. "[Warren] says I draw the energy." He's not sure of that, but supernatural things seem to like his camera. While taking Warren and Tony and Judy Spera on a tour of the theater complex on Sept. 7, he took photos covered with orbs. They also appeared Advertisement in photos he took of the Colonial Theater on Boston Avenue, where the Warrens had dates.   Sept. 7 is the birthday of Warren's late husband, Ed Warren, the famed demonologist. He died on Aug. 29, 2006, and worked at the Poli as a teenager where they sometimes saw movies, Warren said. Myers assembled his photos into a slide show dedicated to the Warrens, and Lorraine Warren is showing it during her lectures all over the United States. He goes by the handle 826 Paranormal and says he is "looking at the unknown through a cop's eyes." He said considers himself "open-minded but skeptical." "I go in with the same attitude as at work. It's just doing another form of investigation," Myers said. It's also a hobby and stress reliever that has proven a little creepy sometimes. While he's never seen anything with his naked eyes, he's definitely felt things. "The only time I ever felt something [in the Poli] was in the Savoy at the main desk," he said. "It felt very, very cold, like an ice chill down my back." Warren said she thinks there may have been two homicides there in the 1940s. The team checked for drafts but found nothing. Before he met Warren, he took photos at the former Norwich Psychiatric Hospital, where he experienced the most disturbing thing to date."It felt like ice water being poured down the back of my shirt," he said. He also got blurred photographs at a house in Monroe he believed to be haunted. That house has since burned down. But, he added, "I've been disappointed on many cases." Warren, who said she can see auras and can learn about a person from them, felt something special for Myers immediately upon their meeting. "I was very impressed by him. He seemed very sincere. I could see a man who had a really deep interest," she said. His job as a police officer makes him disciplined, a requirement for any paranormal researcher, according to Warren. Myers is also wary, but not scared, in paranormal situations. "He's a guy that isn't afraid," she said, adding, "You've got to be leery. It's stupid not to be leery" in haunted areas. And the Savoy complex is still occupied. Warren said she had a vision of the past during a tour: a couple watching a movie in the Poli, as if time had stopped for them. In Myers' photos of her sitting in the theaters, Warren is surrounded by orbs. They float about the ceiling. They represent people attached to the building, some possibly actors who gave up family and personal lives to perform there, she said. Still, Myers' big test came Mischief Night, Oct. 30, when he and a Stamford police officer, who has been helping the Warrens for years, stayed overnight in the Occult Museum in the ghost hunters' Monroe home. People who try to stay there overnight have fled in fear, Warren said. It contains artifacts from their investigations, some famous for reportedly leading to the death of anyone who touched them. Myers didn't touch, but looking through a video camera, he saw a moving orb. "It looked like there was a ping-pong ball bouncing around my camera," Myers said. Working with Lorraine and the Speras, visions like that could become a regular sight for the officer. But he maintains a professional attitude in his work. "He's taking photos, he's taking recordings, he's gaining knowledge," Warren said. "He's a good listener. He doesn't go foolhardy into anything. He's not in everybody's face." "All in all, he's really proven himself to us," she said.

Bridgeport has tentative deal with cop union Bridgeport contract avoids layoffs, restricts use of city vehicles By MARIAN GAIL BROWN Staff writer Updated: 11/23/2008 10:58:04 PM EST BRIDGEPORT -- City police would forgo raises for two years and lose city vehicles for personal use, but nine jobs slated to get the axe would be saved under a tentative pact between the mayor and police union. Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 and the city announced Saturday that they have reached a conditional agreement on a new four-year contract that may save the city $800,000 in the current fiscal year. In the third year of the contract, cops would get a 6 percent raise, followed by a 5 percent boost in the fourth and final year of the deal. "It's a little higher" than the department's usual raises, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch acknowledged Sunday. "Our primary focus is avoiding state financial takeover, and with a little bit of luck in year three [of the contract] we're hoping to see some growth in our grand list. There were numerous meetings and lots of phone calls between both sides. Let's just say both sides exhausted each other." Bridgeport is facing a $20 million deficit and Finch has asked for union givebacks totaling $8.9 million to help plug the hole. Finch has also threatened layoffs and wants to sell some city-owned property. The police union still has to ratify the contract. Union officials have scheduled a meeting to discuss the proposed deal followed by a vote next Monday, the same day Finch wants the City Council to send the deal to its Contracts Committee for review. Frank Cuccaro, president of Local 1159, called Advertisement the zero percent raises for the first two years, followed by the raises in the third and fourth year, "fair raises."   About the package as a whole, "given the economic conditions in our country," Cuccaro said, "I think it's a fair deal." Cuccaro said union officials would have ample opportunity to educate officers about the contract provisions during lineups and roll calls, as well as at the union's upcoming meeting. The proposed contract will restore the jobs of nine officers laid off in October and return the force to 423 officers. In addition to the zero percent raises in the first two years of the deal, the contract would cut vacation time payments for the remainder of this fiscal year, and officers would not be allowed to take home police cars unless authorized by the chief. The savings from that policy change, Finch said, is expected to save the city anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, depending on how many miles the officers drove the city vehicles for personal use. "Unfortunately, nobody has been managing or keeping track of how often city vehicles are out for personal use. There are some positions, such as police chief and fire chief and their deputies who need to have around-the-clock access to their cars. But most positions don't require that," Finch said. "So, we are going to take a harder look at who is using [city vehicles] for personal use" and curtail that to save money.

SET supplants NET for Bpt. cops By AARON LEO Staff writer Updated: 11/20/2008 10:31:07 AM EST BRIDGEPORT -- The police Neighborhood Enforcement Team is getting a new name, new faces and more officers, but acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. says its mission to target quality-of-life issues will not change. Gaudett announced this week that he plans to organize a unit called the Strategic Enforcement Team that will "capitalize on the success of NET in making a positive impact on the city's neighborhoods." "The bar has been set and it's a pretty high bar in terms of performance of the [Neighborhood Enforcement] team," the acting chief said. The squad, started in February 2007 by then-Chief Bryan T. Norwood, focused on one neighborhood at a time, without having to respond to the range of calls that patrol officers are dispatched to investigate. NET dealt with everything from gangs to loitering to underage drinking, and recovered weapons, seized drugs and arrested probation violators. Both Mayor Bill Finch and the public cited the team for cleaning up problems in the neighborhoods. Norwood resigned in October after a 2 1/2 years to head the police force in Richmond, Va. There were about a dozen NET officers before they were all reassigned to the Patrol Division last week. But they can bid to get assigned to the new SET, with a deadline of Monday, said Elaine Ficarra, spokeswoman for Finch. Gaudett said SET will have 12 officers, a sergeant and a lieutenant. It will "assist the Patrol Division in the reduction of crime and improve Advertisement the quality-of-life of city residents through the use of short-term crime suppression in targeted areas," he said.   It could be in more places at the same time, according the chief. The new squad, however, will also comply with the union contract, in which assignments to specialized units are based on seniority. The union argued Norwood had violated that proviso in handpicking NET members without regard to seniority, and a state labor arbitrator agreed. The arbitrator sided with the union, but Norwood and the city appealed the ruling. Norwood had also been seeking right of assignment, or the ability to handpick, members of other the department's other specialized units. That appeal now has been dropped, and the SET standards will include seniority, physical fitness and disciplinary records, Ficarra said. Officer Frank Cuccaro, president of the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159, approved of the new unit. "I think the SET team will be very successful. Chief Gaudett is moving the department forward in the right direction. We have come a long way in a very short time," he said. The SET proposal drew comments at the Board of Police Commissioners meeting this week where Gaudett announced the team's creation. State Rep. Andres Ayala Jr., D-Bridgeport, and landlord Frank Martinez, 73, were among the supporters of the quality-of-life approach taken by NET. "I had several constituents who had a pleasant experience with the NET team," Ayala said. "The team was probably one of the most effective strategies I've seen." Martinez, who owns a block in the East Side, said he works with police to keep tenants safe and NET helped clean his buildings of loitering and related issues. The city has had other specialized police details that dealt with quality-of-life, such as Mayor Joseph Ganim's MOST, or Mayor's Office Special Targets, in the 1990s.

Bridgeport layoffs on hold

Police Board names officers

Cop union offers alternatives to layoffs

BRIDGEPORT -- With the approach of Oct. 24, the last day on the job for 15 police officers laid off by Mayor Bill Finch, both the police union president and several members of the Board of Police Commissioners are suggesting alternative ways to close the city budget's ballooning deficit.

"Redeployment would fill holes in certain areas of the Police Department and it would in turn lower overtime costs," said Officer Frank Cuccaro, president of the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159.

He proposed that the mayor stop hiring of administrators paid $80,000 a year or more throughout the city, as well as stop using private lawyers to handle some of the city's litigation.

Plus, Cuccaro said, the class of 19 rookies who graduated from the Bridgeport Police Academy last Friday will save the department money, "if they're deployed properly."

The 15 police personnel are among of 31 city workers who Finch announced last month will be laid off. He also cut every municipal department's budget by 10 percent and specifically ordered then-Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood to cut department overtime by half to close the budget gap. Norwood announced last week that he is leaving his job here to become police chief in Richmond, Va.

The Police Department overran its overtime budget by about $1.3 million in the last fiscal year.

Among those people Finch laid off are Deputy Police Chiefs James Honis and Adam Radzimirski, each paid a salary of $97,258, the second and

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third highest on the list. Also laid off were four parks police officers, a school police officer, two captains, one lieutenant and five sergeants.

 

Finch said Monday that he appreciated new ideas, but had no further comment.

"All these items are under consideration and they're all part of the collective bargaining process. I'm hopeful and grateful that people are putting ideas forward," he said.

The City Council also recently took another step designed to rein in the police budget by approving the creation of a new assistant police chief position -- the non-union post will have a salary of from $92,502 to $105,069 a year -- to help the chief control overtime and conduct day-to-day operations. Now, the chief is the only non-union job in the department.

Daniel S. Roach, a member of the police board, said he would try to avoid layoffs by rearranging schedules.

"If it's a question of excessive overtime, I would be willing to work out something with the deputy chiefs on the chopping block. Keep them on, but without overtime," he said. "I'm in favor of keeping tabs on overtime as opposed to layoffs."

"I would never be in favor" of laying off patrol officers, he added.

Layoffs didn't have to be one of Finch's first steps to control spending, said David Hall, the police board's vice president.

"I admire his enthusiasm and his efforts to solve this problem, but I may not admire his management style the same way," Hall said of Finch.

Finch should let the department heads form a savings plan for their own areas. "They know what they can do without," Hall said.

Andrew Nunn, the city's chief financial officer, has insisted that department heads were involved in the cutting process, despite those who claimed they were not.

Ana Cruz, another police board member, called for compromise. Raises should be frozen and highly paid administrators should take pay cuts while the city's finances are scrutinized.

"This calls for the city to form a group to strategize and examine expenditures," she said. "We need our police officers to help protect our city."

Lower salaries "are better than not having a job, period," Cruz said.

Joseph Gaudett Jr. heads a second family

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Newly appointed Acting Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph... (Christian Abraham/Staff photographer)

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BRIDGEPORT -- Deputy Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr., a married father of two, is now in charge of a second family: the Bridgeport Police Department.

Gaudett, 47, will be the acting police chief after he's sworn in this morning, replacing Bryan T. Norwood, who is expected to resign this morning, according to police officials and Mayor Bill Finch.

Gaudett's promotion was announced Tuesday night in City Hall at a special meeting of the city's Board of Police Commissioners. A search for a permanent replacement could take six to eight months, Finch said. Norwood was sworn in last week as police chief in Richmond, Va., after serving 2 1/2 years in Bridgeport.

Finch said Tuesday that serving in the interim as chief is just as challenging as being the permanent chief.

"When you're on duty 365 days, 24 hours, seven days [a week], there is no interim," he said.

Under Norwood, the police department reduced crime "dramatically," and Gaudett will carry that on, Finch said.

"He is a tremendous police officer and he will help keep us safe. His family has nearly a century of policework," Finch. His grandfather, father and sister were officers.

The mayor called Gaudett "a bright star, a professional, a policeman's policeman. We're getting a great leader," Finch added.

Gaudett, who started in 1983, thanked his colleagues, family and friends who gathered in the City Council Chambers.

"I appreciate all your support. I promise

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I won't let you down," he said.

 

The announcement ended a week of uncertainty started last Tuesday when Norwood became Richmond's chief.

At first his last day was to be at the end of the month, but officials said Norwood agreed to resign today.

The department and all city departments are suffering from cuts caused by a growing city budget deficit. Finch had ordered Norwood to cut overtime in half after the department overspent that budget by $1.3 million.

In August, the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 voted no confidence in both Finch and Norwood, and Finch laid off 15 officers.

But those gloomy issues seemed forgotten Tuesday night as Gaudett stood with his wife, Diane, to accept the job. They have been married for 22 years and have two daughters, Joceyln, 19, and Camryn, 10.

Camryn jumped into her father's arms for a big hug after her father finished speaking.

In February 2007, when Gaudett was promoted to deputy chief, she pinned his badge on him. On Sept. 9, 1969, an 8-year-old Gaudett pinned a sergeant's badge on his father.

Gaudett was born in Bridgeport, and attended St. Augustine's School. He now resides with his family in Newtown.

Officer Frank Cuccaro, police union president, called Gaudett "a fine choice."

"I look forward to working with him," Cuccaro said.

Gaudett, who was deputy chief of administrative services, has also been working on the radio system for a combination dispatch center for the police and fire departments that is being built on Housatonic Avenue.

"What's better than having the guy who helped design it be the chief now?" Finch said.

The mayor said that despite the city's problems, everything has had a silver lining. He said Gaudett will improve department morale.

A larger ceremony is planned for this week, officials said.

19 rookie cops step up in Bridgeport

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The 33rd Basic Training Session Graduation Ceremonies was held at Bridgeport City Hall Council...

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BRIDGEPORT -- Melody Pribesh started what could become a new family tradition Friday night.

The city police sergeant of 11 years pinned a police officer's badge on her son, Donald A. Bensey III, at a ceremony in City Hall where he and 18 others were sworn in, the city's 33rd class to graduate from the Bridgeport Police Academy. Bensey also had the highest academic score in the class.

"I'm very proud of him. He worked hard and he did really well," she said.

Pribesh, who also has three grown daughters, said she might pin badges on two more of her children someday.

"Two of my daughters are hoping," she said.

Meanwhile, 58-year-old Gilberto Feliciano, husband of 12-year veteran Officer Minerva Feliciano, got his police badge, three years after retiring from the U.S. Postal Service.

He completed 35 years at that job, but his heart was elsewhere. "I want to follow in my wife's steps," he said. "I feel great. I feel excited. I'm happy. I finally reached my goal."

"I'm really proud of him," his wife said.

Feliciano said he tested for the New York City police department during his 15th year with the postal service, but decide to stay with the post office. Also, the couple has two grown children, one a veteran and the other currently in the military.

Six of the city rookies live in Bridgeport. Sworn in to Bridgeport's department on Friday were Bensey, John R. Cholakian, Joseph J. Cruz III, Michael R. Davila, Feliciano,

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Ralph R. Fensore, Thomas F. Flaherty III, Thomas A. Gallbronner, Jeffrey A. Holtz, Omar Jimenez, Jarah Mathews-Dixon, John Pachera, Roberto Quintanilla Jr., Michael L. Salemme III, Christopher Smith, Matthew T. Szymczak, Angel M. Vazquez Jr., Robert J. Voccola and Alexander M. Wilde.

 

The rookies will earn about $42,000 a year to start, and join 432 other uniformed officers.

Also, Brandon Kaufman became a Bethel officer; Onoria Errichetti, Easton; Justin G. Bisceglie, Domenic Monteleone and Julio J. Rodriguez, Norwalk; John V. Kekac and Brian P. McPadden, Shelton; Anthony M. Giansanti and Robert M. Muschett, Stratford; and Jeremy P. Meurice, West Haven.

In Bridgeport, the new officers must complete at least 400 hours of field training and they finish their probation four months after that, said Lt. Aida Remele, head of training. The academy lasted 25 weeks.

Chief Bryan T. Norwood was slated to speak, according to the ceremony's program, but he did not attend. He leaves at the end of the month to head the Richmond, Va., police, after 2 1/2 years in Bridgeport. A meeting to select an interim chief, also scheduled for Friday, was pushed back to Tuesday.

But Remele and three deputy police chiefs addressed the graduates, as did Bensey.

Bensey said police work changes daily. "Today, an officer must be sharp and continuously trained. Our education will not end today. It seems the more you learn, the more there is to learn.," he said.

He also thanked Norwood, "who literally ran us to the ground" in the academy, he said.

Assistant police chief job to be filled

BRIDGEPORT -- City officials are forging ahead with plans to fill the newly created job of assistant police chief despite Chief Bryan T. Norwood's decision to leave at the end of the month to take another job.

The assistant chief job -- a post that will be neither union- nor civil service-affiliated -- was authorized by the City Council by a 12-1 vote at its Monday night meeting. The job is being established with the specific administrative goals of cutting police overtime and overseeing discipline in the department.

An interim police chief is expected to be announced Friday by Mayor Bill Finch to fill in until the job can be filled on a permanent basis. The process will take months, however, as required by the city charter, including a nationally advertised search, civil service testing, background checks and interviews. Finch will make the final decision on a new chief from among three top candidates.

Before Norwood's unexpected decision to leave and take the job as police chief in Richmond, Va., Finch had called for the new assistant chief's job to be established. The council still must approve some details regarding the job, including a proposed salary range of $92,502 to $105,069.

"This is a critical position," Finch said. "The chief is asking for another person who is not a member of a bargaining unit to be his right hand and do the discipline. This is necessary to get overtime under control."

City police last year racked up nearly $9

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million in overtime, $1.3 million more than budgeted.

 

Finch's spokeswoman Elaine Ficarra on Thursday said that Norwood's departure would not have an impact on filling the assistant chief job, although she said officials have not decided whether it will wait until the a new chief is hired.

Finch last month announced that 15 police officers will be laid off -- five parks police officers and 10 high-ranking officers -- some of whom are among the highest-paid officers on the force, thanks mostly to overtime. Overall, the mayor is laying off 31 workers in the latest round of cuts designed to control a growing budget deficit.

City Council member Bob Walsh, D-132, said he doesn't understand why the assistant police chief would not be a civil service employee, even though the chief is.

"This will be the only position in the department that's not civil service. It's been said the chief wants to hire his own person, so it's 'OK' to bypass civil service?" Walsh said, who voted against the resolution to create the job.

City Council President Thomas McCarthy, D-133, said the city's Civil Service Commission voted unanimously to exempt the assistant chief from civil service requirements.

"This has to be unanimous," McCarthy told the council. "It's up to the commission to decide if the job is tested or not. All you are voting on is if you want this position. I'm in favor of this. Part of the role is to get the overtime down."

Article from the BridgeportNews.com Norwood quits as Bridgeport police chief to take Virginia job

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Police Chief Bryan Norwood Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood announced Oct. 8 he will resign as Bridgeport’s chief to become chief of the Richmond, Va., Police Department. His last day in the Bridgeport position will be Oct. 31.   Police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Norwood began looking for a new job shortly after the union passed a “no-confidence” vote in the chief and in Mayor Bill Finch, who continues to demand the department cut costs to help the city cope with an economic crisis. Norwood has been battling the police union on a number of issues, from division appointments to disciplinary actions. The sources said Norwood was at odds with Finch over budget cuts the mayor wants in overtime. The department was millions of dollars over budget in overtime in the last fiscal year. Finch has announced he would lay off 10 high-ranking officers at the end of the month to help trim costs. Finch said Norwood had done a lot to improve the Bridgeport Police Department. "He’s done so much with our department to streamline workflow, increase police presence in the neighborhoods and to help diversify the ranks,” Finch said. “In his two-and-a-half years here, he’s instituted many 21st century policing techniques that have resulted in a double-digit drop in violent crimes, and a reduction of drugs and guns on our streets. “  Norwood drew the ire of rank-and-file officers in August when he disbanded the department’s 12-officer Traffic Division as a cost-cutting measure. The outgoing chief also reportedly considered cuts to other specialized squads, including the K-9 Unit, Mounted Unit and the Tactical Narcotics Team, to curb costs. The chief also has been battling with the police union over how officers are appointed to the Neighborhood Enforcement Team, known as NET, a specialized unit that targets crime in specific locations. The union has insisted the appointments must be made based on seniority while Norwood has wanted the flexibility to hand-pick NET members. According to a story on the Richmond Times Dispatch Web site, Norwood is to take over a department with 759 officers, 167 civilian employees and an annual budget of $79 million. The Bridgeport Police Department has about 440 officers and an annual budget of about $43 million. Norwood was the city’s youngest-ever police chief when he took over the Park City department at age 39 in 2006. A Bridgeport native, Norwood became chief in Bridgeport after he served as an assistant chief in New Haven and also spent a year on assignment with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. His father, Al Norwood, was a longtime Bridgeport school administrator and now is retired and lives in Virginia. Finch said a nationwide search for a new chief would begin immediately. “We would hope to have a new chief in place in several months," he said. In the meantime, an acting chief will be named to oversee the department. A special meeting of the Police Commission will take place Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. in the Mayor’s City Hall Annex Conference Room to introduce the new acting chief to the commission.

 

Norwood leaves as Bpt Cop chief(Connecticut Post 10/08/08)

Norwood leaves as Bridgeport cop chief

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Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP Bryan T. Norwood, left, new Richmond, Va., chief of...

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BRIDGEPORT -- Bryan T. Norwood, the city's embattled police chief, resigned suddenly after only 2 1/2 years on the job to become chief in Richmond, Va.

Norwood, the target of a no-confidence vote by the local police union this summer, accepted the Richmond job Wednesday after promising Mayor Bill Finch that he would not make a final decision until Friday.

He currently is paid $102,793 under a five-year contract he signed with the city in April 2006, while the range for the Richmond job is expected to be $109,000 to $165,000.

Finch said he didn't learn that Norwood, who was in Richmond for the announcement Wednesday, had taken the chief's job there until he saw the posting online.

Norwood could not be reached for comment.

No one has yet been named to temporarily fill Norwood's post, although Capt. Lynn Kerwin, the head of the department's Detective Bureau, is considered a frontrunner. A permanent chief can be appointed only by the process set forth in the City Charter, which includes a nationwide search and Civil Service tests. The mayor makes the final selection.

"Chief Norwood had delivered a letter to me around 10 a.m. yesterday," Finch said. "It was a formal letter of resignation, and I called him back. I said, 'Are you sure you want to do this?' I told him I know there are some problems here, but that Richmond is not the ideal city either. It has its problems. It was his feeling it was a great opportunity -- bigger city, more

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money and it was closer to his mother and father who live in Virginia."

 

Finch said Norwood agreed to give him until Friday to make a counter offer. "But I guess they wouldn't let him out of Richmond without signing," the mayor added.

But, Finch added, "It's an opportunity to use this vacancy to help the morale in the department that has suffered lately."

He acknowledged that Kerwin would be a top contender to be interim chief, but he wouldn't rule out the four deputy police chiefs, including James Honis and Adam Radzmirski, who are slated to be laid off at the end of the month as a cost-cutting measure.

"Layoffs can be made, layoffs can be rescinded," the mayor said, explaining that changes can be made for the good of the city. "Our first priority is public safety," he added.

Finch said he would also not rule out appointing Deputy Chief Anthony Armeno to temporarily head the department. Armeno was temporary chief in the months before Norwood was named chief here despite protests from women's groups after the Connecticut Post disclosed Armeno had previously been accused of hitting a female officer and dislocating her shoulder.

However, Armeno scored too low on the promotional examination to be considered for permanent appointment as chief.

"It would be improper to say anyone is more or less in the running," Finch said. "We have a good bench of substitute players."

He said a temporary replacement for Norwood, whose last day is officially Oct. 31, would likely be named by the end of the week.

City Council member Andre Baker, D-139, a member of the council's Public Safety Committee, said he was not surprised by Norwood's resignation.

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know this was going to happen. I've talked to him many times and you could hear the discouragement in his voice. He just wanted to get the support he needed," Baker said. "I'm just so scared of the direction we are now going to move in."

Officer Frank Cuccaro, president of the Local 1159, the police union, said, "The department as a whole is looking to move forward and I'd like to say I would hope that the city administration would take into consideration hiring from within for the next chief."

"It's not a total shock," said Daniel Roach, a member of the Board of Police Commissioners. He said he had heard Norwood had been testing for other jobs. "I wish him all the best."

However, he added, any sudden resignation by the department's leader "always comes as a surprise."

Norwood leaves a department mired in controversy, with orders from Finch to slash overtime, and beset by criticism from the rank-and-file for assigning officers to the Neighborhood Enforcement Team and for disbanding other special-duty units. About half of the union's membership in August approved a motion of "no confidence" in Norwood.

Because of the city's budget crisis, Finch has also laid off 15 police officers, effective at the end of the month.

"We're in perfect storm,'' Norwood said of disruptions at the Police Department in an August interview. "We're in a fiscal crisis. We're in a transition from federal oversight. We're in contract negotiations. We're half-way through the contract of a chief who has a different management style.''

Norwood, who grew up in Bridgeport, became the city's youngest chief at 39 years old when he was hired for a five-year contract. His father, Alexander, is a former associate superintendent of schools in Bridgeport. He later moved with his family to Monroe and graduated from Masuk High School.

The assistant chief of New Haven police at the time he was hired for the Bridgeport job, Norwood was chosen by then-Mayor John M. Fabrizi for the job from among three finalists.

In Richmond, according to the Web site of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Norwood will administer a department much larger than Bridgeport's. The capital city of Virginia has a force of about 760 sworn officers and 170 civilian employees with an annual budget of $79 million. Bridgeport has 432 officers and a budget of about $43 million.

Staff writer Aaron Leo contributed to this report

Police protest Finch layoffs By Bill Cummings Staff writer Article Last Updated: 10/07/2008 12:27:18 AM EDT Click photo to enlarge A large group of Bridgeport police officers walk out en... (Brian A. Pounds/Staff photographer ) « 1 2 » BRIDGEPORT -- As police officers protested layoffs in the department, Mayor Bill Finch on Monday used his State of the City address to issue a gloomy assessment of the city's finances and warn that everyone must "do more with less." "Last December, when I took office, the city was like a runaway bus on a bumpy road. Today, we've got control of the bus, but the road remains very bumpy," Finch declared. "Many of the decisions we must make will, no doubt be difficult, unpleasant, and at times, unpopular," Finch said during his speech before the City Council. As the mayor spoke, more than 100 off-duty city police officers ringed the council chambers, standing in mostly silent protest against the 15 police officers -- 10 higher ranked officers and five park policemen -- whom Finch recently laid off. The group of police officers said little during the mayor's speech, although several did shout out, "Why lay us off." Finch wasted little time reminding council members and the general public that when he took office, the city faced a nearly $20 million deficit. He said his administration was forced to drain the city's fund balance to close the gap. That fund balance, or reserve account, stands at a mere $9 million out the current $492 million budget, far less than credit agencies want to see. The city is now running a roughly $6 million deficit, and Finch stressed that he is taking many cost-cutting steps to rein that in. "To get us Advertisement from where we are to where we want our city to be, our guiding philosophy must be to do more with less," Finch said.   Before police marched to the council meeting, officers organized outside City Hall. Frank Cuccaro, the police union president, said it's unfair Finch targeted the department's highest-paid officers, and said the move violates civil service laws. "This will cost thousands of dollars more in lawsuits in court," Cuccaro said, signaling the union's intention to fight the Finch administration. In all, 31 city employees were notified two weeks ago that their jobs were being cut. As the 2008-09 budget was put together during the spring, Finch sent out 110 layoff notices, although some of those job losses were restored by the City Council. Finch said the national economic downturn has caused turmoil in the city's budget as tax revenues dropped and expenses rose. He blamed most of the layoffs on a poor national economy, the rash of home foreclosures and the deficit he inherited from former Mayor John Fabrizi. "When I took over this office a little less than a year ago, I realized we had been misinformed and misled about the financial situation. We were not in as good shape as we were led to believe, and therefore, I was forced to make hard choices immediately to address a nearly $20 million deficit that I had unexpectedly inherited," Finch said. About half of that deficit, the mayor said, was caused by reliance on revenue that did not come in as projected, such as $4.5 million from the sale of Steel Point to the city's chosen developers, who hope to one day create a $1.5 billion community of shops, condominiums and other features on the waterfront peninsula. The mayor didn't mention that his 2008-09 budget contains the same Steel Point revenue, and inclusion of that money is now fueling a new deficit. And while the mayor didn't specifically address the cops who protested during his speech, he did point out that the city is hiring 35 new firefighters and 50 new police officers. Still, Finch said the news is "not all gloomy," and cited his efforts to restrain spending and collect back taxes. He touted several economic development projects now under way, such as building more downtown housing.

Police brass among Bpt. layoffs By BILL CUMMINGS Staff writer Article Last Updated: 09/22/2008 05:59:06 PM EDT BRIDGEPORT -- Mayor Bill Finch said Monday that 31 employees, including 10 ranking police supervisors, will be laid off to help stem a growing budget deficit. The layoffs will begin within 30 days and are expected to save the city about $1.9 million. The list of employees to be laid off includes 10 police administrators, 20 City Hall workers and one Health Department employee. City officials initially announced that 15 police administrators would be laid off, but later in the day corrected the number to 10. "I'm not happy about this and I do it with a heavy heart," Finch said. "But this is a serious time. We have to do more with less." Finch said police layoffs -- the Fire Department will not lose any employees -- do not include rank-and-file officers who patrol city streets. "We have done our level best to make sure this does not impact public safety." City Council member Robert Curwen, D-138, the co-chairman of the council's Budget and Appropriations Committee, said he supports the work force reductions. "He's doing the right thing." But Curwen said Finch had promised to include council leaders like himself in discussions over who to layoff and apparently didn't. "This is all news to me. I don't know what to say. There is no communication," he said. Officer Frank Cuccaro, the president of the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159, said, "We're very upset at the current chain of events." Bridgeport is not the only large city in Advertisement Connecticut laying off workers. New Haven Mayor John DeStefano last week laid off 35 city workers and Hartford's 2008-09 budget calls for 119 layoffs. Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez has hinted that more layoffs may be needed to reduce a growing budget deficit.   Earlier this year, Finch announced plans to lay off 110 workers, although some of those jobs were restored when the 2008-09 budget was adopted. Still, as a result of that round of layoffs, the city now employs 70 fewer people than when Finch first took office, and there are 18 unfilled positions. About 2,000 people work on the city side of government, and about 2,700 work for the Board of Education. This year's $492 million municipal budget already is running a deficit of at least $6 million, mostly caused by the likely loss of $4.5 million in anticipated revenue from the sale of Steel Point to developers, a transaction that is not likely this year, and $1.5 million in union concessions called for by Finch, which have not come through. The city's 2007-08 budget ended the fiscal year with a $20 million deficit, which was mostly covered using reserve funds. The fund balance in the budget now stands at a mere $9 million. A financial report recently issued to the City Council indicates there was a $1 million deficit in July, the first month of the 2008-09 fiscal year. Those figures do not include the likely $6 million shortfall, so the current deficit probably more like $7 million. The names of those targeted for layoff were withheld Monday as officials try to notify each employee. The Finch administration promised to release the names as soon as everyone has been told their fate. The mayor said the tide of red ink is caused in part by home foreclosures sweeping the nation and the city, where 5,200 subprime loans had been issued. The mayor said revenues from home sales and real estate levies are down, as well as fees for a variety of permits. At the same time, municipal expenses, particularly for energy and health care, are rising, Finch said. The mayor said a combination of 20 percent spending reductions in all departments, a hiring freeze, employee furloughs and layoffs is expected to save about $3.5 million this fiscal year. "We are holding the line on spending across all departments," the mayor said. Other measures designed to save money include a future audit of the city's health insurance plan with the goal of eliminating employees and their families no longer eligible to be part of the plan. The city's Bootfinder program, which identifies motor vehicles on which taxes are owed, will target tax delinquents more aggressively. The police layoffs target some of the department's highest-paid administrators, a group that collectively receives the largest amount of overtime each year. The Police Department last year spent $8.8 million in overtime, $1.3 million more than budgeted. Asked why top police administrators account for a disproportionate share of the department's overtime, Finch said, "I never got a satisfactory response to that question." At the mayor's behest, the department is creating a non-union, assistant chief position. That official, once hired, will handle overtime assignments and other administrative functions. The mayor renewed his call for city employees to work a week without pay, saying about 50 non-union employees have already signed up, saving about $100,000. Union members have so far refused to participate in the furlough.

Cops, supervisors disagree on morale

BRIDGEPORT -- Contract negotiations between the city and the police union have resumed, and Mayor Bill Finch has personally visited officers during roll call to the calm their fears as the city struggles to close a budget gap and refill its coffers.

The mayor's efforts and new round of talks are bringing morale up, said two deputy police chiefs, but one member of the union's executive board disagrees.

"Morale is in the dumper," said Officer Kenneth McKenna, the executive board member of the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159. "Guys leave their homes at 3:30 and count the minutes until midnight."

"[Expletive] poor is the best way to describe it," he said.

McKenna's comments followed a statement by Sgt. John Whalen, also a union official, that the city's return to the negotiating table is a positive.

"Things are at least moving forward," Whalen said. The next negotiation meeting is scheduled for Friday.

The assessments of morale came at Tuesday's meeting of the city's Board of Police Commissioners, where officers updated the board on the status of negotiations. The past contract expired on June 30 and the city initially offered no raises in addition to asking for givebacks from all unions.

Finch also ordered department overtime cut in half.

A combination of disagreements between the union and the mayor, as well as Chief Bryan T. Norwood, led to about half of the union members to approve a motion of no confidence in

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the two officials in August. Later in the month, some union members and officers from neighboring departments also picketed at a golf tournament hosted by the city and the Connecticut Post.

 

Deputy Chief Adam Radzimirski, who supervises plainclothes officers, mainly narcotics officers and detectives, said he overheard two officers recently discussing an arrest they made.

"Their hearts are still in the right place," he said.

Deputy Chief James Honis, who supervises uniformed officers, said Finch has been talking "one on one" with officers at roll call, where they start their shifts.

Board Vice President David Hall said the panel was drafting a laudatory letter to officers.

But it's not the lack of a contract that has the rank-and-file down, McKenna said, speaking for himself, rather than the union.

The recent removal of long-standing court order, resulting in Norwood getting more disciplinary power, and a related issue of the chief's hand-picked Neighborhood Enforcement Team are depressing morale, according to McKenna.

In June, a state labor arbitrator ruled against the chief's selection process of the team, but the city is appealing that order with the mayor's backing.

The arbitrator ruled the chief violated the expired contract's seniority-based selection clause. The team performs enforcement, stings and investigations, rather than going from call to call as patrol officers do.

"The NET issue really tears most of the guys up," McKenna said.

City to name assistant police chief AARON LEO Article Last Updated: 09/02/2008 12:24:54 AM EDT BRIDGEPORT — The city is re-establishing the job of assistant police chief, an administrator whose goal will be to help cut the huge overtime piled up by the department. "This person is going to be critical to the chief in reining in an out-of-control police overtime budget," Mayor Bill Finch said of the non-union post. The Police Department overspent its overtime budget by $1.3 million in the last fiscal year, and is poised to burn through its reduced $4.5 million overtime budget for 2008-09 in six or seven months, Finch said. He has ordered Chief Bryan T. Norwood to halve overtime spending. The assistant chief job would be salaried, not subject to overtime and would likely be filled from within the department's ranks, according to the mayor. The position doesn't violate the city's contract with the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159, said Officer Frank Cuccaro, union president. The pact expired on June 30. The job was approved in 2002 by the city's Civil Service Commission, and again last month, said Ralph Jacobs, the city's personnel director. "The chief needed someone who is not affiliated with the union, a direct assistant," Jacobs said. The chief is now the only member of the department who doesn't belong to the union. The new job would add to the number of supervisors in the department. There are four deputy chiefs, the next-highest rank, who are paid annual salaries of $85,803 to $94,425. Two of those chiefs, Joseph Gaudett Jr. and James Advertisement Honis, were among the top 10 overtime earners last year, which angered Finch. He said that he isn't opposed to patrol officers being paid overtime, but doesn't think supervisors should. Also on that overtime list were lieutenants and sergeants. Cutting overtime is actually the deputy chiefs' jobs, and Norwood should be preventing them from earning overtime, Cuccaro said. "That's the chief's job, to rein in his people," the union president said. But Cuccaro also suggested dismantling the Neighborhood Enforcement Team — a point in contention between the union and the chief, who says he has the right to assign officers of his choosing to the unit — to bolster patrol and reduce overtime. That would return about a dozen officers and a sergeant to regular duty. Norwood handpicked the members of the team, which takes on a range of quality-of-life crime issues rather than handling daily calls. That subjective selection process violated the union contract's seniority clause, a state arbitrator has ruled. The city is appealing that in court, and the squad remains in service. Finch also said he wants to restructure the Police Department by removing more supervisors from the union and changing seniority-based selection for squads to right of assignment by the chief. The current setup isn't good for running a "fiscally prudent police department," he said. Norwood has already disbanded the Traffic Division, which had 12 officers, and other units may also be closed, with the officers being re-assigned to patrol duties. The union has identified the Mounted and K-9 units and the Tactical Narcotics Team as possible targets for future cuts. The assistant chief's position must now be reviewed by the Miscellaneous Matters Committee of the City Council. "The concept of the job is as far as it's gone," Jacobs said. The last assistant chief in the department was Karen Krasicky, who retired in 2005 to lead the Plymouth Police Department. The assistant chief before her was the late Robert Mangano.

Bridgeport cop board chair calling it quits AARON LEO Article Last Updated: 08/25/2008 12:06:45 AM EDT BRIDGEPORT — After more than two decades as an elections moderator for the city and four years as chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners, Thomas L. Kanasky had enough. The mudslinging and partisan bickering all too common to Bridgeport politics had taken a toll on Kanasky, 61, and he walked away from civic service, convinced it just wasn't worth the aggravation. "I'm not lending my credibility to the city ever again," Kanasky said one recent afternoon, sitting in his downtown law office on Fairfield Avenue. Still, he added, "I'm very satisfied with my four years on the [police] board." With his term on the board set to expire and a replacement nominated, Kanasky resigned his chairmanship in June — around the same time he stepped down as head moderator amid lingering allegations of election fraud in the Democratic mayoral primary. For some of Kanasky's colleagues, his exit from the political scene was a big loss for the city. He has "an impeccable reputation," said Santa Ayala, the city's Democratic registrar of voters. "I think it's a great loss. You have an honest, capable individual." David Hall, vice president of the police board, also praised his former colleague and vowed to continue his reform efforts aimed at giving the board more control over disciplinary cases. In his resignation letter to the board, Kanasky accused the department's leadership and the city of ignoring the history of minority officers' federal discrimination Advertisement lawsuits against the department and the resulting remedy orders. A Democrat since he first registered to vote at 18, Kanasky said he's always been independent in judgment and the city knew that before then-Mayor John M. Fabrizi appointed him to the board. He turned Republican in 2006 because, he says, the Democrats had gone too far left for him. "I got tired of Democratic politics, not just in the city," he said. "The Democratic Party just doesn't want conservative people. I always felt they needed a conservative lean." Finch, who defeated state Rep. Chris Caruso, D-Bridgeport, in last year's contested primary, said he's known and respected Kanasky for years, and credited him for his board service. But Finch said he sought a police board that would support Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood and wanted "a fresh set of eyes on the Police Department." Kanasky took exception to the mayor's use of the word "support." "There's a difference between supporting and obeying," he said. "Somebody's got to point out to me where I didn't support the chief." His comments appeared to be a veiled reference to the case of Officer Douglas Bepko, who was fired by the board last year after a domestic violence incident. Norwood had wanted Bepko fired immediately, but the board held hearings and fired him several months later. Norwood, displeased, stopped talking to the board for several months, but eventually reconciled. The chief has said he looks forward to working with the board — which has several new members — but hasn't commented directly on the former chairman. Hall sided with Kanasky on the Bepko issue, saying it also illustrates Kanasky's independent stance. The board acts as a liaison between the public and the department, but is independent of both. Firing Bepko too quickly would have been a mistake, Hall said. "As an attorney, he knows the consequence of that action," he said. Kanasky said he was also frustrated by lack of communication with the mayor, which hurt his efforts to get department policy enforced. The silence, he added, has continued to this day. "The mayor and I have never talked about the police commission or anything," the former chairman said. For example, he said, he tried to get the city and the department to adhere to the proper procedure for appointing officers to the Office of Internal Affairs. He was also trying to get the board to hear more discipline cases, because some serious ones were handled quietly in-house by Norwood, he said. "The department is still pick and choose" in terms of discipline, Kanasky said. "I thought there should have been referrals to the board. There are cases we knew about that we thought should have been referred to the board." The last straw for Kanasky, however, was the Democratic primary. After Caruso lost, he accused Kanasky of not being certified to run elections because of inadequate training on the electronic voting machines. But now, Kanasky said, he doesn't have to worry about that. He appears to have plenty to keep him busy, judging by the full boxes stacked in his law office and the filing cabinets against the wall. He's been practicing since 1980. That career and his efforts to get a monument built for Bridgeport's World War II veterans, living and dead, are the only things on his mind these days. Kanasky, is a Vietnam veteran and a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. "I want to get this monument built and maybe retire from public life," he said.

Cop units cut to save on OT AARON LEO Article Last Updated: 08/24/2008 12:17:31 AM EDT BRIDGEPORT — Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood has disbanded the department's 12-officer Traffic Division and other specialized squads, including the K-9 Unit, Mounted Unit and the Tactical Narcotics Team, may be next on the chopping blcok. "It is my understanding that other specialized units are going to be disbanded this week," said Officer Frank Cuccaro, the president of the local police union. Norwood on Friday said the changes are designed "to maximize the resources in patrol in order to minimize overtime expenditures. I'm trying to look at any way to reduce overtime." Mayor Bill Finch recently ordered Norwood to cut his department's overtime in half after its overtime exceeded the amount budgeted last year by $1.3 million. Cuccaro had a different view of why the units are being disbanded. "I feel this is classic union busting," he said. "I feel the disbanding of these units has largely to do with recent events sponsored by the union." He was referring to the union's Aug. 15 protest targeting Finch and Norwood at the Mayor's Cup charity golf tournament, as well as union members' 187-27 vote in favor of a no-confidence motion in the chief. The union's contract expired June 30, and the city has offered no raises while requesting furloughs and givebacks in the stalled negotiations on a new pact. Cuccaro said the chief can disband a specialized unit, but must restore its original membership if he puts it back together, under the contract. Among Advertisement its duties, the Traffic Division investigated hit-and-run crashes and serious accidents, and conducted speed-enforcement operations. "They put out an abundant amount of parking tags, which generates revenue for the city, Cuccaro said. Police and city officials were hesitant to comment on the turn of events, but said public safety is a high priority. City Councilwoman Michelle Lyons, D-134, the co-chairwoman of the council's Public Safety and Transportation Committee, wants to speak to the chief about the changes. "I want to see what the final outcome is on this," she said. "The chief made this decision. I want to find out why he made this decision." Cuccaro first brought up the Traffic Division issue at last week's meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners, prompting Vice President David Hall to express concern. "We don't want to manage the department, but we want to have a clear understanding of what's going on," Hall said Friday. He added that he doubts the chief would make cuts "just to get back at somebody." The chief must be working with somebody, such as the mayor, in making such changes, Hall said. "Every one of them will be missed," he said of the affected units. Another concern is what would happen to the police dogs and horses, which are trained and cared for by the city, if those units are disbanded.

Teed-off cops picket mayor's golf tourney BILL CUMMINGS Article Last Updated: 08/16/2008 12:29:32 AM EDT Click photo to enlarge Bridgeport Police office, Lidio Pereira, leads a chant on... (B.K. Angeletti / Staff photographer ) « 1 2 3 » BRIDGEPORT — Police officers picketed the "Mayor's Cup" charity golf tournament Friday to call attention to their contract dispute with Mayor Bill Finch. About 75 officers, some from as far away as New London, demonstrated in a circle at the Park Avenue entrance to Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course as Finch arrived for the event. They later marched past the clubhouse as the tourney got under way. Some held signs with slogans including, "Grinch: Leave Our Contract Alone" and "Finch is a Zero." Officers said Finch is unfairly demanding officers accept no raises for two years, work one week for free and cut overtime in half as a way to help close a looming gap in the new fiscal year's budget. "We are just showing our disdain for the city administration," said Frank Cuccaro, president of Local 1159, which represents the city's patrol officers. Union members recently approved a motion of no confidence in Finch and Chief Bryan Norwood. "The administration is failing to negotiate in good faith. They want us to work for free for a week and they walked away from the table," Cuccaro said. "We keep the city safe and expect fair wages." For his part, Finch took the protest in stride, arriving at the golf tournament via the Stratfield Road entrance in Fairfield, where none of the police pickets were stationed. "It's part of the job," Finch said as he walked toward the clubhouse to check in for the charity event, which was sponsored by the Connecticut Post and the city. Advertisement The proceeds benefit the Newspaper in Education program, which uses newspapers to encourage children to read. The police union donated $400 to the cause. Finch defended his contract demands, which he said includes cutting police overtime in half, from more than $8 million last year to about $4.5 million this year. "The city is in a financial crisis and we have to make cuts. There are measures we have to take to keep the city financially sound," he said. Meanwhile, police working the picket line were clearly unhappy with the mayor. Officer Todd Sherbud marched with a sign proclaiming, "I should have voted for Caruso," referring to Finch's opponent, state Rep. Christopher Caruso, in the Democratic primary for mayor last fall. Asked if he really voted for Finch, Sherbud said he did, but would not again, "if I knew what I know now." James Howell, who represents the statewide police union, said Bridgeport is the only community offering no pay raises to its police officers. "These guys put their lives on the line every day. They are just looking for a fair and decent wage. They are on the lowest-paid department," Howell said. Cuccaro acknowledged negotiations between the union and the city are at an impasse and said the deadlocked talks will likely have to be resolved in arbitration, where officers are likely to win some type of a raise. "We are looking for what we deserve. We want at least 3 percent," Cuccaro said. Norwood arrived at the golf course with Finch. Both planned to play in the tournament, even though neither are avid golfers. Finch, in fact, said he had never played a round before. The chief said the Police Department could reach Finch's goal of cutting overtime in half and still keep an adequate deployment of officers on the street. "The mayor said there are cuts that must be made. We will keep enough officers on the street to maintain public safety." The union contends reducing overtime will make it impossible to maintain the current staffing level of 21 officers per shift. "The mayor wants to lower it by 60 percent. That will kill public safety," Cuccaro said. Police overtime has drawn attention lately, partly because the department exceeded its budgeted overtime by $1.3 million last year. Bridgeport pays the most overtime of the state's largest cities, and the issue has sparked controversy because high-ranking officers are paid a large share of the overtime. Finch said the practice of high-ranking officers being paid a disproportionate share of overtime will stop. He said savings from ending that practice will help the department cut overall overtime and maintain a sufficient number of officers on the street.

Norwood: 'Perfect storm' plagues police

Cops vote 'no confidence' in chief, mayor AARON LEO Article Last Updated: 08/13/2008 12:52:18 AM EDT BRIDGEPORT — Nearly half the Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 has voted "no confidence" in Chief Bryan T. Norwood and Mayor Bill Finch. The ballots, tallied Monday night, show 187 police officers voted no confidence in the administration while 27 voted against the no-confidence motion. Ballots were mailed to the union members two weeks ago. The vote is symbolic and has no practical impact on the chief, who is chosen by the mayor. Norwood was sworn in April 2006, and has a five-year contract. But the vote indicates deep discontent with the ranks of city police, said Officer Frank Cuccaro, the union president. "It shows that the Police Department as a whole doesn't support the actions of the chief or the mayor regarding the contract and the way the mayor's trying to change the workings of the department," Cuccaro said. The chief declined Tuesday to make immediate comments on the no-confidence vote, but indicated he would discuss his views today. The police union of 442 sworn officers has been working without a contract since June 30, and the cash-strapped city hasn't offered raises, in addition to demanding givebacks from all municipal unions. The no-confidence vote follows criticism by Finch last week that the Police Department exceeded its inside overtime budget by $1.3 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year, contributing to a $19 million deficit in the overall budget last year. Finch also criticized the ballooning overtime because some of the top Advertisement earners are deputy chiefs and other police supervisors. Police of all ranks can be members of the union, except the chief. Finch wants overtime reined in, but Cuccaro said less overtime would jeopardize public safety by leaving shifts with fewer officers. On average, 21 officers per shift provide coverage for the city's three patrol sectors, a deployment that can rise as high as 30 officers per shift, he said. "It's going to hurt the response time," Cuccaro said. He added that officers earn the city $10 an hour for overtime road jobs, bringing the city $1 million in compensations from contractors. Finch said he would "do what's in the best interest of the citizens of Bridgeport and public safety." "I will not play politics with public safety," the mayor said. He also supports Norwood, who has added 46 officers to the department and expanded its crime-fighting technology. "I have great confidence in Bryan Norwood. One has to look no further than how Bridgeport compares with other major cities in our state to see how successful Chief Norwood has been," Finch said. The last vote of no confidence in a city police chief was taken in 2004 against Norwood's predecessor, Wilbur Chapman, which failed. Meanwhile, Cuccaro has pledged the union will picket Finch and Norwood at the first Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament, co-sponsored by the Connecticut Post, on Friday at the Fairchild Wheeler Golf Club. He has invited members of other municipal unions with complaints against the administration to join the demonstration.

Police to protest at Mayor's Cup

Court to end oversight of police

NEW HAVEN — The power to administer, assign and discipline his officers will be returning to Bridgeport's police chief for the first time in 25 years this fall.

"I've expressed the view on many occasions that there is a time to conclude court jurisdiction of a governing entity," U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton said during a nearly four-hour-long hearing.

So after tweaking a proposed order and agreeing to oversee a 17-month implementation, Arterton indicated that the 25-year control the federal court and its special master, William Clendenen, have exerted over the way the department has handled its black officers may soon be over.

The judge said the way the city implements and handles the changes will "put the court in a position to make a decision that the remedy order be vacated, needs modification or be left alone."

That will happen during a December 2009 hearing.

On Tuesday, lawyers for the city and the Bridgeport Guardians, an organization representing black officers, formalized a proposed order that could bring an end to the 25-year-old case. Following a weeklong trial a quarter century ago, the late U.S. District Judge T.F. Gilroy Daly found widespread racial discrimination within the Bridgeport police department. The judge's finding was based on the fact that of the 33 black officers in the department in 1982, all but one was assigned to patrol the most crime-ridden areas of the city. The other was assigned to the record room. None had

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supervisory positions.

The proposed order, which could end the case "is an opportunity for the city to get its act together," said Ted Meekins, a retired black police officer and a plaintiff in the original proceedings. "The union has the opportunity to make things happen or hold up the process. All the Guardians have wanted for the past 30 years is a more level playing field."

The union, represented by Harry Elliott, voiced some concerns over the proposed order during Wednesday's hearing.

On Wednesday, Arterton learned the city now has 68 black officers, which constitutes 16.27 percent of its 418-member police department in a city where a third of its residents are black. The department also has 113 Hispanic officers and 52 female officers.

Broken down further, the department has a black chief. None of the four deputy chiefs are black. It has two black captains out of nine and two black lieutenants out of 21. It has 10 black sergeants out of 65 and five black detectives out of 41.

Arterton said the nearly doubling of black officers shows "progress," but the department's record in promoting blacks "is at best mixed — not what one might hope would be the result of 25 years of court intervention."

After hearing opposition from Elliott, the union's lawyer, to some aspects of the proposed order, Arterton called a brief recess. During the break, Antonio Ponvert, the Guardians' lawyer; City Attorney Mark Anastasi; Deputy City Attorney Arthur Laske III and William Wenzel, a private lawyer hired by the city, huddled and agreed to some changes. Arterton asked that a final version be submitted to her by Aug. 20. She indicated an intention to put the proposal in place by the second week of September.

"This is tremendous news for the city of Bridgeport," said Mayor Bill Finch. "The impact of this will be that we will be able to control our own police department — a move that will help us fight crime more effectively while simultaneously saving the money the city has been paying the special master since 1983."

It is believed that Clendenen received tens of thousands of dollars for conducting several hundred proceedings over the past quarter century.

Earlier Elliott expressed concern that the city would use some of the leverage it gained in assignments to diminish the union's bargaining tactics.

As it now stands the proposed order will allow:

l Bridgeport to suspend the use of hiring recruits in the order they place on the hiring list.

l The city will allocate $300,000 in increments of $50,000 over six years beginning in 2010 to help recruit minority candidates.

l The lawfirm of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, which represented the Guardians since the suit was filed in 1978, will forego more than $1 million in legal fees and court costs. Instead they will accept payment of $300,000 and then use that money to create and administer a program that will recruit, mentor, tutor and train black officers.

l The chief will have the authority to choose 50 percent of the officers to serve in the nearly dozen specialized units like K-9, Scuba, Emergency Response, Tactical Narcotics Team and Marine. The other 50 percent will be chosen based on seniority and qualifications.

l The chief will have the authority to assign officers to geographical areas within the guidelines of the collective bargaining agreement with the union and concerns raised by the Guardians.

l Handling complaints of racial discrimination will be taken away from Clendenen, a New Haven lawyer appointed in 1982 to hear such matters, and given to the chief.

l The city will write a non-discrimination policy for the police department that must be approved by the judge.

"We're trying to move forward and working with the chief to do so," said Sgt. William Bailey, president of the Guardians. "My main concern is that 50 percent of the current number of black officers will be eligible to retire in the next few years. We need to do a more effective job of recruiting more minority officers."

The proposal stems from months of closed-door meetings between the two sides, which U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons mediated.

"Based on the proceedings today, the city is confident the court will be issuing an order that reflects the significant progress the Bridgeport Police Department has made in recent years particularly under the leadership of Police Chief Norwood," said City Attorney Mark Anastasi. "We look forward to the court returning full operational control to the department in the foreseeable future."

To cover budget gap, city seeks concessions

BRIDGEPORT — The city has hired a New Haven law firm to help negotiate new union contracts and squeeze at least $1.5 million in savings from municipal workers.

Ryan and Ryan, which specializes in labor law, was hired to assist the city as it negotiates contracts with its eight municipal unions. The law firm is being paid $175 an hour for its work.

We have all the unions going at once and they are assisting in all negotiations," said Andrew Nunn, the city's chief administrative officer.

Ryan and Ryan has offices in New Haven and New London, and has represented more than 150 clients in the private and public sector, according to the firm's Web page.Nunn acknowledged the $492 million city and school budget recently adopted by the City Council includes a $1.5 million gap that city officials assume will be covered through union concessions or givebacks. If those savings fail to materialize, there would be an immediate deficit, he said.

The city first plans to offer employees voluntary unpaid furloughs, which essentially means vacation without pay. About 1,500 people work on the city side of government.

Adam Wood, Mayor Bill Finch's chief of staff, said he hopes a sufficient number of workers will take advantage of the furlough program, which can be offered without union negotiations or changes in current contracts, to offset the need for other measures, such as benefit reductions and layoffs."Everyone is going to need to sacrifice and tighten their belts a little,"

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Wood said.

Nunn said if nearly all city employees take an unpaid week's vacation, the savings would be sufficient to cover the $1.5 million gap in the budget.

Wood said the request for furloughs also applies to non-union employees, including the mayor.

"Absolutely. The mayor has made that statement. It would apply to everyone," Wood said.

Police officer always provides extra help

Click photo to enlarge

Bridgeport Police Department Crime Prevention Officer... (Tracy Deer-Mirek/Staff photographer)

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BRIDGEPORT — City police officer Nick Ortiz got the Liberty Bell Award from the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association for community service in setting up block watches as a crime prevention officer in the Community Services Division.

But it was his extracurricular community service really caught the association's eye.

For Ortiz, outside community service is all in a day's work. His real reward is being able to help people, which he's done all of his life.

Ortiz mentors city students, helps with Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood's taekwondo classes for troubled youth and flips burgers and hot dogs for the annual St. Anthony festival, held at St. Margaret's Shrine.

"I'm willing to help anyone, anywhere, anytime," Ortiz, 48, a 23-year-officer, said as he took a break from serving food at the festival at the Park Avenue shrine on June 13. The shrine used to house a statue of St. Michael the Archangel, patron saint of police officers.

Ortiz was nominated by attorney Douglas Mahoney, who was the president of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association at the time. Mahoney said he was researching a nominee when he saw Ortiz's volunteer activities.

"Officer Ortiz's name jumped to the top of the list," he said. "I was just so struck by what he was doing."

Then he met Ortiz, whom he'd seen walking near police headquarters almost every day. Mahoney's Lyon Terrace office faces headquarters.

"I recognized him immediately," Mahoney said.

Ortiz, who grew up in the

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city's East Side and visited the shrine on holidays as a child, said he's always wanted to help the community. He was inspired to become an officer after seeing a statue, in the shrine, where a tall St. Michael the Archangel stands over a police officer.

For the St. Anthony procession that follows the festival, he donned his uniform while off-duty and directed traffic, as he's done for the four years he has been with the festival.

Nick Mastroianni, an organizer with the festival since it was started 30 years ago, said he always needs people to pitch in at a moment's notice.

"The help is indescribable," he said. "It relieves you of all the pressure. We're grateful to have a person like him."

Another festival volunteer has also experienced Ortiz's help.

Cliff Roberts, president of the Germania Schwaben Society here, said Ortiz helped gather bicycles for children, which were presented around the holidays last year. Roberts hopes to repeat the program.

Ortiz is also trying to come up with fundraising ideas to replace the St. Michael statue, which went missing years ago.

He joined the department in 1985 after graduating from Warren Harding High School. He became a DARE officer, which got him into Community Services.

Today, with two years to go, he's not sure whether he'll retire.

"If I still see I can help, maybe I'll stick around for a while," he said.

One person who would like to see him stay is Brent DiGiorgio, spokesman for People's United Bank, headquartered downtown.

Ortiz linked DiGiorgio with the community, such as by helping him with the bank's Heroes Honoring Heroes program, which recognizes a police officer and a youth for helping the local community.

"He's been an enormous help to me," DiGiorgio said.

The spokesman credited Ortiz's upbringing with his service ethic.

Ortiz grew up in the notorious Father Panik Village, which had its share of violence and drugs and social problems.

"He has seen others suffer and in his life and, consequently, always wanted to give back to his community. His heart and his head are always in the right place," DiGiorgio said.

LETTER TO THE CONNECTICUT POST PUBLISHED ON 06/18/08

Finch wants Bridgeport to up its savings BILL CUMMINGS Article Last Updated: 06/18/2008 01:24:37 AM EDT BRIDGEPORT — Mayor Bill Finch, concerned about the impact of the city budget's shrinking fund balance on its credit rating, is implementing a new policy designed to shore up the account. Finch on Tuesday announced the fund balance will now be at least 8 percent of the annual budget, which this year is $492 million, requiring about $40 million for the fund. The mayor admitted reaching the goal will be difficult and could cause budget cuts similar to layoffs and spending cuts that drew nearly 1,000 protesters to City Council meetings while the budget was being set this spring. "The city is in a financial crisis and this is another step we are taking. In the recent past we spent down the fund balance, and we spent it down in good times," Finch said. The fund balance is the city's savings account, meaning money in the budget that is not allocated for specific use. The funds are supposed to be reserved for emergencies and unforeseen problems. Credit-rating companies prefer a healthy fund balance or reserve account. If those credit firms reduce the city's bond rating, it will cost more to borrow money, and that can affect taxes. Under the 2008-09 budget, which begins July 1, the city will have $15 million in the fund balance, or about 3 percent of the operating budget. That projection is a best-case estimate that assumes Finch will secure an additional $1.5 million in savings from municipal unions as contracts are negotiated in the coming year. By comparison, Advertisement the city's fund balance in 2000 was more than $50 million. Finch warned there would be more layoffs if unions refuse to give back vacation time and other benefits. Michael Lupkus, the city's deputy finance director, said the policy should allay immediate concerns credit-rating companies are likely to have over the diminished fund balance. The new policy sets a goal of placing $2.5 million a year in the fund balance. During the 2009 fiscal year, about $1 million would be added, officials said. The City Council is now considering a resolution to make Finch's plan the city's official policy. City Council President Thomas McCarthy, along with council members Robert Curwen and Leticia Colon, who jointly chair the council's Budget and Appropriations Committee, said they support the policy designed to bolster the fund balance. "We are willing to take tough medicine. It won't be easy for citizens to take," McCarthy warned. This year's budget battle illustrated how tight city finances have become. The move to privatize the school-based health clinics, for example, saved $1.5 million by taking dozens of nurses and other workers off the city payroll. But $1.5 million, just to use that figure as an example, is $1 million less than the city's goal of placing $2.5 million in the fund balance by the end of 2010. One factor that could ease future pain, and offset the need for more layoffs in coming years, is if the city gains additional revenue from economic development projects, such as Steel Point. Bill Cummings, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6230. Print   Email   Return to Top

Arbitrator: NET staffing improper AARON LEO Staff writer Article Launched: 06/12/2008 01:35:57 PM EDT BRIDGEPORT — A state labor arbitrator has ordered that the police Neighborhood Enforcement Team be staffed in compliance with seniority rules spelled out in the city's contract with the police union. The ruling, however, is being appealed by the city, and pending the exhaustion of that process, the team will continue to function as constituted, according to John Bohannon, the lawyer hired by the city to handle the case. "NET will continue performing its duties," said Bohannon, a former assistant city attorney. The state arbitrator, Joseph M. Celentano, heard arguments May 12 in City Hall and the ruling was issued June 5. The Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159, in its complaint, contended that Chief Bryan T. Norwood violated the contract by personally selecting members of the 11-officer squad without regard to their seniority or promotional status. The team tackles quality-of-life issues in target neighborhoods, such as loitering, illegal drugs and guns, break-ins and underage drinking. The chief should have chosen the NET officers based on seniority, the union complaint states. However, union leaders add they do not want to see the squad disbanded. Officer Frank Cuccaro, the union president, said the ruling called for the department to "rebid the positions and go by seniority." The city must abide by the contract, he has said. Mayor Bill Finch supports the team and the way its members were selected. "The NET team is essential to the public safety Advertisement of this city and we have seen great success with them under the direction" of the chief, he said. "I support the NET team and the chief's method for staffing it one hundred percent and I will fight tirelessly to keep the team intact here in Bridgeport." The team recently arrested a man who had escaped for the third time in six years from the Connecticut Valley Hospital, the state's mental hospital. NET officers were alerted to look for the man, Roy Sastrom, 44, who was considered armed and dangerous for allegedly using a handgun to rob a bank in Chelmsford, Mass., after his escape. Bohannon said that's just one of the team's recent accomplishments. "It's an intelligence-gathering team" that also works on gangs and parole enforcement, he said. The chief picked the team in consultation with two deputy chiefs. The unit hit the streets in February 2007, and is made up of a sergeant and 10 officers. Each officer has different police-work specialties. "It works because the people were hand-picked for their particular abilities," Bohannon said. "This touches on the chief's ability to manage the department effectively," he said of the decision to challenge the arbitrator's ruling. The union filed the grievance on behalf of an officer who applied to be a NET member, but failed to be selected, he said. Sgt. Paul Grech, the head of the team, declined to comment on the ruling. But, he said, Officer Chris Martin was recently added, bringing its membership to 11. Meanwhile, the team was slated to receive an award Thursday from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for its enforcement of laws on underage drinking, Grech said. In several sting operations, the team has nabbed numerous college students using false identification to illegally buy alcohol. The unit has also underscored the enforcement campaign by organizing forums on underage drinking with area college officials, and bar and package store owners. Print   Email   Return to Top