Earlier today, Mayor Ganim and the City of Bridgeport announced the construction of the SquashBridge Community Facility underneath the leadership of the Squash & Education Alliance (SEA). The facility will be built at 1673 Main Street and will be the host of four classrooms, seven indoor squash courts, and one outdoor steel squash court constructed with materials from Bridgeport’s Instel Steel.
“This is an exciting announcement to make as we welcome Squash & Education Alliance to Bridgeport,” stated Mayor Ganim. “The approach that Squash & Education Alliance has makes a large impact on our community as it incorporates athletics while fostering education for our youth. This will be a significant addition to Bridgeport and we’re grateful, not only for the investment in our community, but more specifically for our children.”
The Squash & Education Alliance is a network of 25 non-profit organizations throughout the nation that provides long-term support within the realms of squash (a sport comparable to racquetball), academics, college and career development, and mentoring. There are two squash facilities in Connecticut, both being in Hartford and New Haven. Bridgeport will be the third squash facility in the state and will be the home of the regional and national center for the entire network of the Squash & Education Alliance.
2023-02-16@2:15pm–#Bridgeport CT– Firefighters were called to help extricate someone for a rollover crash at Warren and South Avenue in front of the state police barracks. One person appeared to be transported to the hospital.
Bridgeport, CT – The City of Bridgeport today announced that nearly 10,000 motorists illegally passed a stopped school bus during the first six months of the school year. The shocking number of violations were captured through the City’s school bus camera safety program, demonstrating the ongoing public safety threat facing students on their journey to and from the classroom.
“The safety of our children is a top priority of mine,” stated Mayor Ganim. “It is unacceptable that there are motorists who are blatantly putting our children in danger by illegally passing stopped school buses. We will take the necessary steps to crack down on these violations to ensure that our children are not being threatened by the carelessness of drivers while school buses are making their pickup and drop-off routes.”
In Connecticut, the Stop Arm Law prohibits a vehicle from overtaking or passing a stopped school bus that is displaying its flashing red signal lights, and drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from the school bus.
From September 3, 2023, to February 3, 2024, 74 school buses equipped with stop-arm cameras recorded 9,860 vehicles that illegally passed school buses stopped to pick up or drop off children. This is equal to 2.2 violations per bus per day, or 75 violations per weekday.
According to the data, the bus stop with the highest number of violations was the 100 block of Logan Street with 1,671 violations, nearly triple the next highest violation hotspot at the 100 block of Davenport Street with 566 violations. Nearly one in five stop-arm violations occurred at either of these two locations.
In August 2022, the city enacted a school bus camera safety program to detect drivers that fail to stop at school bus stop signs and assist local police with enforcing the state’s stop arm law. The city installed cameras and sensors with AI technology on the outside of all Bridgeport school buses to detect drivers and record their license plate information when they unlawfully pass a stopped school bus. The recorded information is reviewed by the Bridgeport Police Department, using their discretion to approve or disapprove a stop-arm violation.
However, a technicality in the state law currently prevents the city from implementing this safety program to better enforce the state law.
The City of Bridgeport is making these data publicly available as it seeks to entice state lawmakers to pass legislation that provides for the ability to impose monetary liability and collections at the municipal level. In doing so, this would empower the city, along with other local jurisdictions, to leverage automated enforcement technology to vastly improve the ability for the Bridgeport Police Department to capture stop-arm violations where they occur, deter violators, and change driver behavior.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that school buses in the United States are illegally passed 43.5 million times each year.
Federal agencies have also called for the widespread adoption of automated school bus safety technology. This includes the National Transportation Safety Board, which called on states to combat the prevalence of stop arm violations by enacting laws enabling local jurisdictions to install automated enforcement cameras on stop-arms and to issue citations to violators caught on camera.
Bathroom Fire 2024/02/15@10:15AM — Report of a fire at the residence at 210 Olive Street, firefighters found the fire in the bathroom and have at this time put it out, there does not seem to be any extension at this time.
Trumbull Police recovered cocaine, heroin, and cash from a Bridgeport man who was out on parole after his vehicle was stopped for an equipment violation. The operator, Phillip Rorie, age 49, of Marigold Avenue, Bridgeport, was also found to have a small plastic bag containing a white rock-like substance, and over $1000 in cash in his possession.
On Thursday, February 8, 2024, at about 2:30 a.m., a Trumbull officer stopped a vehicle on Route 8 Northbound for an equipment violation and the vehicle’s registration was suspended due to insufficient insurance. When the officer approached the car, he observed multiple $20 bills laying on the front passenger seat and other items consistent with drug packaging scattered throughout the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
The officer also observed a small black zippered pouch partially concealed under the driver’s seat which was found to have several plastic bags containing 30 bags of crack cocaine, and 95 folds of heroin. It was also discovered that Rorie, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was on parole as the result of numerous previous arrests for narcotic sales, and that he was to now be remanded into custody. Rorie was then taken into police custody and charged with Sale of Narcotics, Possession with Intent to Sell Narcotics (2 counts).
He was remanded to custody by Parole and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on February 20, 2024. Rorie was also issued an infraction for Misuse of Registration and Insufficient Insurance.
On February 7, 2024, officers working under the direction of Bridgeport Police Lieutenant Trevor Niestemski and Sergeant Michael Paoletti concluded a month-long investigation into 28-year-old Anthony Durham of Bridgeport CT for suspected narcotics and weapons violations. Search warrants were obtained for an apartment in the 200 block of Broad Street as well as a vehicle being used by Anthony Durham. Police officers located Durham inside his parked vehicle within the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing community.
As police officers approached the vehicle one of the occupants, later identified as 19-year-old Dominick Francis of Derby CT, fled the vehicle engaging police in foot pursuit. Francis was quickly apprehended, placed under arrest, and found to be in possession of a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol with high-capacity magazine and narcotics. Francis also had an outstanding arrest warrant for Failure to Appear in the 1st Degree. Bond is $75,000. Francis was charged additionally with Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Illegal Transfer of a Pistol, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, Illegal Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine, Illegal Possession of a Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Sell, Violation of a Protective Order, and Interfering with a Police Officer. Bond is $100,000.
Durham was located in the vehicle and immediately placed under arrest for an outstanding domestic violence warrant. Durham is charged with Assault in the 3rd Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree, and Disorderly Conduct. Bond is $25,000.
Search warrants were executed on Durham’s vehicle and at his apartment in the 200 block of Broad Street. Officers seized an additional (2) 9mm semiautomatic pistols, narcotics, over 10 thousand dollars in US paper currency, jewelry, and drug factory equipment. A stolen motorcycle was also recovered inside the apartment.
Anthony Durham was charged additionally with Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Illegal Transfer of a Pistol, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, Illegal Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine, Illegal Possession of a Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, Operation of a Drug Factory, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, and Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Sell. Bond is $250,000.
On Saturday early morning, February 10th, 2010, at approximately 1:42am, Bridgeport Police responded to a ShotSpotter activation in the area of 1300 Main Street, downtown area. Upon arrival, officers found a crime scene just south of Congress Street on Main Street. A perimeter was set-up to secure the crime scene. Shortly thereafter, the Bridgeport Emergency Operation Center (EOC) advised of two parties with gunshot wounds dropped off at an area hosptial. Two male parties were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Both were fired upon while traveling south on Main Street.
The Bridgeport Police Detective Bureau responded and began a criminal Investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact Detective Aaron Rivera at 203 581-5179. Citizens can also contact the Bridgeport Police Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS (X8477).
2024-02-10@7:36pm–#Bridgeport CT–Firefighters on scene of a structure fire on the first floor on Brookfield Avenue. The fire marshal is on the way to investigate the cause of the fire.
2024-02-10@5:50pm–#Bridgeport CT– #cttraffic– According to radio reports there is a car with two responsive people inside a car on Route 8 north on ramp. They just made a special call for one person who was still unresponsive. This is breaking news, the reports are unconfirmed so the details and facts can and will probably change, but now you know what all the emergency vehicles were about!
