Author: Stephen Krauchick

A three year old was mugged while sitting in his stroller Saturday. The mugger came up to the boy in his stroller and snatched a $400 gold necklace given to him by his grandparents on his baptism. The mother yelled at the mugger to let her son go, but he just laughed at her. He fled on foot along with a partner. They are thought to be 16 or 17 years of age. The New York Post has the full story here…….

Fairfield–A person at the Fairfield Beach Club on Fairfield Beach Road reported to police around 8:15pm Saturday evening that a balloon she believes was caring people landed in the water on Jennings Beach, possibly closer to St. Mary’s by the Sea in Bridgeport. Police were quick to be on the scene and only located a yellow kayak but no balloon. They spoke to several people at the club who say it may have been a Chinese Lantern. While police were interviewing witnesses at the club I talked to a number of people enjoying the weather at St. Mary’s and all said they had been there for quite a while and saw nothing in the sky. They said the were looking towards Jennings beach area. Fairfield Police continued investigating and determined it must have been the lantern.

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**Live Breaking News Feed**

7/14/2012

1:33am–#Bridgeport–Report of a fight in front of Dolphin’s Cove on Seaview Ave. Possibly from a car accident so not on porpoise….

12:41am–Bridgeport–#BlackRock– If heading out to the clubs in Black Rock don’t run over the guy laying in the road in front of Black Rock Yacht Club.

12:40am–Bridgeport–Police break up kids fighting on Beechmont and Broadway. Busy night! Summer in the city!

12:14am–Bridgeport–2 detained after shots fired on Kossuth and Jane Street. If you are parked on Beach Street you may want to check your car for bullet holes as reported by police. NO gunshot victims reported at this time.

7/13/2012

10:44pm–Bridgeport–Police disburse a large gathering of kids (over 40) on Brooks and Shelton Street.

9:46pm–Bridgeport–Report of a street fight on William Street (off Huntington St.). Medics requested to the scene as PD arrives.

2:32am–Bridgeport -Report of a structure fire at 440 of Arctic Street near East Main St. UPDATE– ‎2:53am–Bulk of the fire has been knocked down. Some fire showing on the 3rd floor. Firefighters are opening up the walls and checking for extensions.

Arthur Walker, 35,  drove his  pickup truck while nude through Southwest Center.  Crashes into the front doors of the mall, makes a right an into Champs Sporting Goods where he dresses with stolen merchandise.   WFAA has the full story here  with video below…….

McLeavy Green was aglow with LED luminaries and a march around the green with the Bridgeport United Light Builders .  The Rick Reyes Band played as the artwork of Dustin DeMilio was projected on McLeavy Hall.  City Canvases Bridgeport is a twelve-week, large-scale, video projection program that will highlight week-long, digital shorts by twelve Connecticut artists/filmmakers. Based on the theme of Change, the short videos will be looped and projected on key buildings in Downtown Bridgeport throughout the summer.

BRIDGEPORT, CT (July 11, 2012) – Thirty trainees, 21 of which are slated to become Bridgeport officers, began training this week at the department’s Police Training Academy on Newfield Avenue. The Bridgeport trainees include six City residents.

A 2011 $5.6 million federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant will pay the salaries and benefits for the next three years for 20 of the Bridgeport officer trainees.

“Public safety is a top priority for my administration, and these additional officers will help make our streets safer for everyone,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “I’m confident that we have selected a group of trainees who will put forward a tremendous effort in the academy to learn what Chief Gaudett, their fellow officers and the citizens of Bridgeport expect from them as a member of the Bridgeport Police Department.”

The cadets were sworn in today by Mayor Bill Finch.  The officers will be in training for the next six months, and are expected to graduate in January 2013. Upon graduation, the new officers will be under the tutelage of a field training officer, and will be on probation for eight months. The recruits were chosen based on the testing conducted by the City’s Civil Service department in December 2010. The first class of recruits taken from that hiring list began training in April 2011. Recruits from surrounding towns include: four from Stratford, and one each from Milford, North Branford, Naugatuck and Norwalk.

Facebook and other social platforms are watching users’ chats for criminal activity and notifying police if any suspicious behavior is detected, according to a report…..The screening process begins with scanning software that monitors chats for words or phrases that signal something might be amiss, such as an exchange of personal information or vulgar language…….If the scanning software flags a suspicious chat exchange, it notifies Facebook security employees, who can then determine if police should be notified.

Mashable has the full report here…..

Fairfield, Connecticut – 7/9/2012 – The Town of Fairfield has contracted with Emergency
Communications Network to license a new and improved high-speed phone notification system,
CodeRED, which replaces Reverse 911 and provides Fairfield officials with the ability to quickly
deliver phone messages to targeted areas or to the entire Town in emergency situations.
Town officials caution that such systems are only as good as the telephone number database
supporting them. If a phone number is not already in the Town’s previous emergency notification
database, then a resident or business will not be called. First Selectman Mike Tetreau said, “One
of the reasons the CodeRED system was selected by the Town is that it gives individuals and
businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly into the system’s database which is an
extremely important feature.”
All businesses should register, as well as all residents who aren’t already in the system; have unlisted
phone numbers; have changed their phone number or address within the past year; or who use a
cellular phone or VIP phone as their primary number.
First Selectman Tetreau encourages anyone who is not already in the emergency notification system
to log onto Fairfield’s website, WWW.FAIRFIELDCT.ORG, or the Police Department’s website,
WWW.FPDCT.COM, and follow the link to the “CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment”
page.
Those without Internet access may call 203-254-4830, Monday through Friday, (8AM-4PM)
to supply their information over the phone. Required information includes first and last name,
street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, and primary phone number.
Additional phone numbers can be entered as well.
Questions should be directed to the Fairfield Emergency Management Office, 203-254-4713.
First Selectman Tetreau explained, “CodeRED allows geographically-based delivery, which means
street addresses are required to ensure emergency notification calls are received by the proper
individuals in a given situation. The system works for cell phones too, but we need to have an

associated street address to provide relevant messages.”
First Selectman Tetreau further stated that “CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy
and secure method for inputting information. The data collected will only be used for emergency
notification purposes.”
Town officials will be testing the CodeRED system on Monday, July 16, 2012 at 10:00 AM. During
this test, the Emergency Notification System will be calling all residents and businesses currently in
the system.

A woman nine months pregnant and her family were just turning into her driveway when she was hit by a car being pursued by Fairfield Police.  The car caused the her minivan to rollover.  The woman and suspect were taken to the hospital, neither were seriously injured.  Lieutenant James Perez of the Fairfield Police Department told us the pursuit began around 5:15pm  when the suspect was wanted for a possible burglary.  The low speed pursuit threaded its way through Fairfield onto Park Avenue where it came to an end on Dewey Street near Commerce Ave.   The suspect, Christoper Bond, 51 will face motor vehicle charges in Bridgeport.  Fairfield will charge him with motor vehicle charges as well as criminal charges when he is released from the hospital.

More than 400 people gathered at Steelpointe Harbor on Sunday to welcome a major anchor tenant — national outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops, to the 50-acre development situated on Long Island Sound.

Mayor Bill Finch, Governor Dannel Malloy, Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris, developer Robert Christoph Sr. and his son, Robert Christoph Jr., and a host of outdoors celebrities from the world of fishing, bullriding and NASCAR joined a crowd of local, state, and federal dignitaries to unveil the plans for the 150,000 square-foot store, the size of 4-1/2 football field.

“Today’s announcement marks a historic moment for the City of Bridgeport and Steelpointe Harbor. Bass Pro Shops’ investment in Bridgeport will create hundreds of jobs, generate new tax revenues and bring economic growth to the City. They are a proven brand that will generate interest and attract customers from throughout the region. Bass Pro Shops is committed to Bridgeport and we are proud to have them as a major anchor tenant at Steelpointe Harbor,” said Mayor Bill Finch.

“I want to thank Governor Malloy and his commitment to broadening economic development and job creation in our state. We stand ready, willing and able to support this project and to work with the Governor’s office and the DECD commissioner to bring jobs to Connecticut,” Mayor Finch added.

The agreement is the culmination of almost a year of discussions and meetings between the City, State and Bass Pro Shops.

“This is about jobs, and it’s great news for the City of Bridgeport,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. “Bass Pro will be a draw for people from throughout the region, one that will help revive the local economy. I look forward to solidifying state support for the agreement in the coming weeks. I want to congratulate the Mayor and his team on a job well done and welcome Bass Pro to Bridgeport.”

“We are very excited to bring Bass Pro Shops to Bridgeport to be part of this major development,” stated Johnny Morris, Founder of Bass Pro Shops. “We’re happy to be working with the City and Robert Christoph, Sr., and his son, Robert. Jr. It is incredible to have the opportunity to place a store on Long Island Sound at the center of one of the largest retail trade areas in America with over 12 million people within a 50-mile radius. The area’s long history of great fishing and hunting traditions along with this highly visible and accessible location make it the perfect place to allow us to better serve our many customers and all the outdoor enthusiasts that visit and live in this beautiful part of the country,” Morris continued.

“The announcement of Bass Pro Shops as a major anchor tenant at Bridgeport’s Steelpointe Harbor redefines this community’s retail image for years to come. When open, shoppers from all over Connecticut, Long Island and Eastern New York will be coming to Bridgeport to shop and enjoy the new Bridgeport experience,” said Robert Christoph Sr., of Bridgeport Landing Development, developers of Steelpointe Harbor.

“This announcement is just the beginning of what will take shape at Steelpointe Harbor. Soon, infrastructure improvements on the peninsula will begin, and during the next 18 to 24 months you should see the widening of roadways and expansion of utility capacity. This project will bring hundreds of construction jobs and much needed upgrades to our roads and utilities which will help build the foundation for further expansion on Steelpointe,” he added.