Month: October 2025

Bridgeport Crime Down 30% Year-to-Date; Q3 Shows Continued Progress Across Major Categories

The Bridgeport Police Department reports a continued decline in overall crime through the third quarter of 2025. Year-to-date (YTD) Part I crimes are down 30.25% compared to the same period in 2024 (860 vs. 1,233), with significant reductions in shootings and several major offense categories.

Year-to-Date Highlights (as of Sept. 28, 2025)

  • Total Part I Crime: 860 (↓ 30.25% from 1,233 in 2024)
  • Murder: 2 (↓ 80%, from 10)
  • Robbery: 86 (↓ 50%, from 172)
  • Sexual Assault: 29 (↓ 42%, from 50)
  • Aggravated Assault: 157 (↓ 29.28%, from 222)
  • Burglary: 186 (↓ 29.81%, from 265)
  • Motor Vehicle Theft: 400 (↓ 22.18%, from 514)

Shooting Metrics (YTD vs. 2024)

  • Shooting Incidents: 30 (↓ 34.78%, from 46)
  • Non-Fatal Shooting Victims: 33 (↓ 28.26%, from 46)
  • Fatal Shooting Victims: 2 (↓ 77.78%, from 9)

Q3 2025 Snapshot (July–September)

  • Total Part I Crime: 281 (Q1: 280 | Q2: 299)
  • Murder: 0
  • Sexual Assault: 4
  • Robbery: 26
  • Aggravated Assault: 56
  • Burglary: 61
  • Motor Vehicle Theft: 134

“These results reflect focused, data-driven deployment and close collaboration with community partners,” the department noted. “We will continue to track emerging patterns and keep residents informed with quarterly updates.”

Stratford 911 Dispatchers Honored with Unit Citation at Statewide EMS Awards Ceremony

Stratford, CT – The Town of Stratford is proud to announce that three of its 911 Dispatchers — Estefani Escalante, Suzanne (Suzi) Smolinsky, and Paul Tighe — were recognized with a Unit Citation during the State of Connecticut EMS Advisory Board Awards Ceremony, held September 25, 2025, at the Mohegan Sun Conference Center.

The award honored the dispatchers’ professionalism, teamwork, and dedication during a critical emergency incident earlier this year involving an overturned boat in the Housatonic River with four people on board.

Dispatcher Estefani Escalante answered the initial 911 call and remained on the line with the distressed caller, who eventually entered the water and drifted toward Long Island Sound. For nearly an hour, Escalante provided calm reassurance, gathered and relayed GPS coordinates, and worked closely with Stratford’s public safety partners to guide rescuers to the scene. Her steady presence and life-saving instructions played a vital role in ensuring all four individuals were rescued safely.

Meanwhile, Dispatchers Paul Tighe and Suzanne Smolinsky assumed Escalante’s other duties at the Communications Center — dispatching police, fire, and EMS units, while also handling additional 911 and non-emergency calls from the public. Their ability to seamlessly step in allowed operations to continue efficiently and effectively while supporting the active rescue effort.

“This team of Dispatchers demonstrated that in public safety there is no replacement for compassion, patience, and the willingness to help others,” said JP Sredzinski, Stratford Public Safety Dispatch Superintendent, who joined the dispatchers in receiving the award. “Their ability to work together as a team and with the other Town of Stratford public safety agencies, as well as surrounding partners, allowed for a positive outcome to what could have been a tragic incident.”

Mayor Laura R. Hoydick also praised the dispatchers, stating: “Stratford is fortunate to have these professionals dedicated to keeping our community safe. The calm leadership shown in the dispatch center, combined with the extraordinary efforts of our first responders and regional partners, turned a potentially devastating situation into a successful rescue. This recognition is a testament not only to the individual dispatchers but also to the strength of teamwork in Stratford’s public safety system.”

The Connecticut EMS Advisory Board, in partnership with the Connecticut EMS Councils, presents these awards annually to recognize outstanding contributions and commitment to the state’s emergency medical services system.

Mayor Hoydick, on behalf of the entire Town of Stratford, congratulates Dispatchers Escalante, Smolinsky, and Tighe on this well-deserved honor and thanks them, along with all responding agencies, for their unwavering service to the community.

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF ONLINE CLIMATE RISK MAPPING TOOL FOR HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESSES

New Tool Provides Property-Specific Risk Assessments for Flooding, Wildfires, Wind, and Extreme Heat

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) Commissioner Andrew N. Mais today announced the launch of a free online risk mapping tool that allows Connecticut homeowners and businesses to assess their property’s risk from flooding, wildfires, and other perils to better understand their insurance needs.

Provided through a public-partnership between CID and First Street, a leading global provider of physical climate risk data and analytics, the mapping tool gives residents access to property-level data through interactive maps and risk-rating reports. By simply entering an address, homeowners and businesses can immediately see their property’s exposure to a range of climate-related risks such as flooding, wildfire, hurricane winds, extreme heat and air quality.

“This is an important piece in our statewide commitment to build resilience throughout Connecticut communities,” Governor Lamont said. “It also is a great example of our administration leveraging effective public-private partnerships to help our residents and businesses.”

Connecticut is the first state to make this mapping tool available to all its residents.

This need for enhanced risk assessments for homeowners and businesses was evidenced by the sudden and catastrophic flooding experienced in parts of western Connecticut during a major rainfall in August 2024.

“Many of the affected property owners did not have flood insurance because they did not believe they were at risk,” Commissioner Mais said. “Homeowner’s insurance policies traditionally do not cover flood damage, yet nearly half of all flood damage occurs outside FEMA-designated flood zones.”

Commissioner Mais said First Street’s easy-to-use mapping tool is a marked improvement over the static FEMA flood maps that have existed for years, offering forward-looking models that can predict risk for decades to come.

“Providing residents with clear, property-specific information is a critical step in helping people understand and prepare for the risks we face today,” Commissioner Mais said during remarks today at CID’s annual Insuring the Future Climate Summit in Hartford. “The First Street solution will give residents a more accurate assessment of their property risk in making insurance decisions.”

The governor and commissioner encourage users to share the link with friends and neighbors to maximize its use.

“Climate risk is a reality today, not tomorrow,” Matthew Eby, founder and CEO of First Street, said. “With natural disasters on the rise, we want to help people make smarter, more informed decisions about insurance, preparedness, and long-term resilience. The way to make that happen is by offering them science-backed, peer-reviewed data about their exposure.”

The tool can be accessed by visiting portal.ct.gov/cid/resource-library/free-climate-risk-mapping-tool. It can also be accessed through the Flood Insurance Information Center page of the CID website.

For more resources and information on any insurance matter, visit the CID website at ct.gov/cid.

Exit mobile version