2021-11-14@8:47pm–#Bridgeport CT– Tonight’s 2nd rollover accident was in the 300 block of Poplar Street. The Subaru hit a parked car and rolled onto its roof. The occupants were able to get out of the car on their own. 2 ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
2021-11-14@8:04pm–Car hits parked jeep on Stuben Street and rolls the car. The driver was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
2021-11-14@12:30pm–#Shelton CT– Report of a 2 car accident with one car into a tree in the 500 block of Huntington Street. No word on injuries.
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#Bridgeport CT– On 11/13/2021 at 11:20am, the Bridgeport Police Department was notified of a bank robbery that just occurred at Webster Bank 3546 Main St. The suspect stole $2,000 in cash by stating he was “Sticking up the place”. The suspect was described as speaking with an Italian accent. The suspect was reported to have fled south on Main St. and West on to Clark St. Officers rapidly responded to the scene and canvassed the area for the suspect, to no avail. A K-9 was deployed and tracked to 75 Clark St. where the trail ended.
Webster Bank has offered a $500 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
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Connecticut’s Voice4Change Initiative Empowers High School Students to Decide How Relief Funds Are Spent
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker announced the launch of Voice4Change, a first-of-its-kind campaign administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education that will empower high school students to decide how American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds are spent.
A total of 43 districts encompassing 77 high schools across Connecticut have opted-in to participate, representing more than 55,000 students.
The governor explained that the goal for the initiative is to increase student engagement while fulfilling the Connecticut State Board of Education’s vision of ensuring students thrive in a global economy and civic life by challenging students to think critically and solve real-world problems. A first-in-the-nation statewide student civic engagement initiative, Voice4Change is empowering high school students to propose and vote on how more than $1.5 million of the ARP ESSER state set-aside will be invested to reimagine schools across Connecticut.
Students from the participating schools will submit proposals to the Connecticut State Department of Education outlining how they propose to spend $20,000 in their school, aligned with the department’s ARP ESSER priorities. Proposals deemed eligible to receive ARP ESSER funds will ultimately be voted on by their high school peers on March 11, 2022, one year after the historic American Rescue Plan Act was passed. The Connecticut State Department of Education, students, and the school district will then work together to carry out the winning proposals in each school. Also reserved are five Commissioner Choice awards, which will be given to fulfill five innovative student proposals across the state that are not victorious in their elections.
“We are creating Voice4Change as a tool to give Connecticut high school students a voice in how these important relief dollars are spent,” Governor Lamont said. “We want to hear from all voices when it comes to how these funds should be allocated, and that must include students. This is their opportunity to help make a change in their schools, and I hope they take advantage.”
“Studies have shown that promoting civic engagement in students can improve academic performance and social-emotional well-being,” Commissioner Russell-Tucker said. “We look forward to seeing student proposals to reimagine their schools and to bringing some of those to life, empowering students to be changemakers in their school communities.”
Governor Lamont and Commissioner Russell-Tucker this morning visited CREC Civic Leadership High School in Enfield, where they held a news conference to announce the launch of the initiative.
“The Capitol Region Education Council magnet schools have a long tradition of including student voice in our decision-making processes,” Timothy Sullivan, Superintendent of Schools at CREC, said. “The Voice4Change initiative is a great example of moving beyond student voice and letting students be agents of change in their schools. As we try to move out of the pandemic, no one knows more about what students need than the students themselves. This program gives them an opportunity to act on that knowledge and schools in our state to more responsive as a result. Hats off to the leadership in Connecticut for taking this important step.”
“Every student has at some point come into class wishing something was different within their school,” Natalie Bandura, a student member of the Connecticut State Board of Education and senior at Staples High School in Westport, said. “What makes this initiative so exciting is that is tells students that we are the ones who have the power to make that change. Voice4Change will bring students into more conversations to shape their educational experiences.”
“Voice4Change will inspire creative thinking and empower us students to create a better learning environment for ourselves,” Rishabh Bhandari, a student member of the Connecticut State Board of Education and senior at Wilton High School in Wilton, said. “Voice4Change gives us the opportunities and resources to make a lasting and meaningful impact on our school.”
Information on the initiative will soon be made available on the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Voice4Change webpage at ct.gov/voice4change. The student application period will launch near the end of November and close in early January. Any questions regarding Voice4Change can be sent to SDE.ARPESSER@ct.gov.
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#Westport CT–On November 15, 2003, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Westport Police officers responded
to an office complex located at 208 Post Road West on a report of a burglar alarm. While
checking the interior it was determined that a burglary had in fact taken place. The officers
searched for the suspect but could not locate the unknown individual. It was determined that the
responsible party entered through a window. The investigating detective was able to lift
fingerprints from that window and they were reportedly a match for a man identified as Peter
Briand. Based on the investigation, a warrant for Mr. Briand’s arrest was completed and signed
by a Superior Court Judge.
Shortly after the crime occurred Mr. Briand moved to South Carolina but has recently
returned to Connecticut. On November 8, 2021, Mr. Briand was taken into custody by troopers
with the CT State Police and turned over to Westport officers. Per the warrant, he was charged
with Burglary in the Third Degree and Larceny in the Sixth Degree. Mr. Briand was released
after posting a $1,000.00 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on
November 17, 2021.
2021-11-12@1:04pm–#Milford CT– #cttraffic– Expect delays on I-95 near exit 36 in the left breakdown lane. I believe this is the northbound side. No word on any injuries.
2021-11-12@12:55pm–#Bridgeport CT– Report of pedestrian being struck by a vehicle at Seaview near Grant Street.
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Governor Ned Lamont and Commissioner James Rovella today announced that the governor is appointing Brenda Bergeron to serve as deputy commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, overseeing the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Bergeron will succeed Deputy Commissioner Regina Rush-Kittle, who has served in the position since 2019 and is leaving state service on December 1 to take on a new professional role with the City of New Haven.
“Regina Rush-Kittle has been an invaluable member of our public safety team since I came into office and I am sad to see her go,” Governor Lamont said. “She has been a stalwart of our pandemic response efforts and have provided valuable leadership during severe weather emergencies, and I will miss her presence at the Emergency Operations Center. Mayor Elicker and the City of New Haven are lucky to have her.”
“I have been incredibly fortunate in my years of public safety and law enforcement to serve with some incredibly talented individuals, and Regina Rush-Kittle is one of them,” Commissioner Rovella said. “She has been a steady and effective presence throughout my time working with her, showing leadership in our response to COVID-19, and especially during severe storms like Isaias and Ida. This is another great advancement in her career. She will be a valuable addition to Mayor Elicker’s administration and it’s an exciting opportunity for her and her family.”
Bergeron currently serves as legal advisor for the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security in a position that she has held since 2005. Among other duties, she advises the governor’s unified command on legal issues during emergencies as the State Emergency Operations Center in Hartford. Since 2016, she has also served as the program coordinator for the division’s All-Hazards Planning Unit. She has served as state coordinating officer, deputy state coordinating officer, and alternate governor’s authorized representative for at least eight presidential major disaster declarations. In addition, Bergeron serves as chair of the Legal Counsel Committee of the National Emergency Management Association in a role that she has held for nine years. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UConn and UConn Law School.
“I am honored to have been chosen by the governor and the commissioner for this position, and I look forward to continuing to foster collaboration with our federal, state, local, and private sector partners to enhance public safety in Connecticut,” Bergeron said.
“This will no doubt be a seamless transition for Brenda as she is intimately familiar with Connecticut’s emergency management needs,” Governor Lamont said. “She is the consummate professional, has the respect of emergency management colleagues throughout Connecticut and around New England, and she has a wealth of knowledge in public safety that makes her the perfect person to take on this new role. I can’t wait for her to get started and I appreciate her taking on this new responsibility.”
“Brenda Bergeron has more than 16 years of experience in Connecticut’s emergency management,” Commissioner Rovella said. “With her extensive experience and leadership within the division, Brenda is a perfect fit for this role. Together, we are in an immediate position to continue protecting our citizens and the entire State of Connecticut.”
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#Trumbull CT–A Bridgeport man was arrested in the early morning hours of Tuesday, November 9, and
charged for his involvement in a series of crimes that occurred on October 13, when he
assaulted and robbed a female victim of her vehicle at gunpoint, and fled from officers to
avoid his immediate capture. Jose Francisco Ramos, age 52, of 863 Colorado Avenue
was apprehended by US Marshals at his residence in Bridgeport, and was transported to
the Trumbull Police Department where he was charged for his involvement in numerous
crimes to include domestic violence.
On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at around 7:40 AM, Trumbull Police received multiple
calls about an armed carjacking at an office building on Corporate Drive, where a gun
was displayed. The victim reported that as she arrived for work and was sitting in her
car was when the suspect, later identified as her ex-boyfriend Ramos, appeared and
pointed a firearm at her. Ramos then forced his way into her vehicle and a struggle
ensued. As Ramos physically forced the victim further into her vehicle he entered the
driver’s seat, where the victim had been seated, and he continued to assault the victim.
Ramos eventually put the vehicle into drive and attempted to drive away with the victim
still inside. The victim, who was in fear for her life, managed to put the vehicle back into
park, and escaped out of the passenger’s side door of her vehicle before Ramos fled in
her car. Responding officers located the fleeing vehicle driven by Ramos, but he
continued to flee, driving recklessly, and struck another vehicle as he eluded his
immediate capture.
The female victim sustained minor injuries due to the assault and escape, so Trumbull
EMS responded to treat and transport her to Bridgeport Hospital for further treatment
and evaluation. No other injuries were reported.
There is an active restraining order in place for the victim against Ramos, and there are
several outstanding warrants for the arrest of Ramos, by another local police agency, for
similar domestic related crimes he has committed against this victim. Ramos also had
another active arrest warrant from Trumbull police for several crimes he had previously
committed against her.
On September 30, this victim reported to the Trumbull Police that while she was at work,
she would find minor damage to her vehicle. She immediately became frightened as this
was a sign that Ramos, whom she has an active restraining order against, would do this
to let her know that he is around. Ramos had also constantly attempted to contact the
victim while she was at work during this time. Trumbull Police investigation determined
that Ramos violated the active restraining order and an arrest warrant was eventually
issued for this incident.
At Trumbull Police Headquarters, Ramos was processed and charged with Reckless
Endangerment 1st degree, Kidnapping 2nd degree with a firearm, Larceny 2nd degree,
Robbery 1st degree, Breach of Peace, Stalking 1st degree, Weapons in an Motor
Vehicle, Criminal violation of a Restraining Order, Criminal use of a weapon, Assault 3rd
degree, Engaging Police in Pursuit, Reckless Driving, Operating under suspension,
Evading Responsibility. He was held on a $500,000 court set bond for the October 13
incidents.
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