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.
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.
Bass Shop VIPs-- Larry Young PhotoState and Nation VIPs at Bass Shop Press Conference --Larry Young Photo
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.
Mayor Finch unveils Bass Pro Shops Rendering -- Elaine Ficcara Photo
Just six days almost to the hour another high speed accident took place at the same utility pole on Fairfield Avenue at Clinton Avenue. First responders received the call around 3am Saturday morning. Firefighters had to cut the doors on both sides of the car to get the driver and passenger out of the car. Assistant Fire Chief Ivan Fossesigurani told us the passenger was pushed almost back to the rear seats. She was most seriously injured but coherent and answering questions. The driver received bumps and bruises. The were both transported to local hospitals. Police are investigating.
Around 12:30am Saturday morning police and EMTs were called to Jane Street for a man shot in the back. Numerous shell casings were found on the street as it was at the same exact area on Memorial Day Weekend. It did not appear from the scene that gunshot victim was in serious condition but like the officer on the scene said a shooting like this can change in an instant. Breaking news and facts change quickly so if we get any updates we will update it at DoingItLocal.com.
About one hundred people gathered to to protest the reassignment of Bridgeport Police Officer Lieutenant David Daniels III today outside the Magaret E. Morton Government Center (formerly City Hall Annex) from the head of the Community Services Division to Lieutenant in charge of the midnight patrol, his reassignment starts on Monday. DoingItLocal.com broke the story Saturday morning when rally organizer Eneida Martinez-Walker posted on our Facebook wall about this rally. She told us that she hopes that the mayor and chief reconsider the lieutenant’s reassignment. Speaker after speaker got up and told how Dave Daniels had been there for the community and it was time the community come together for Dave Daniels. Daniels told us that the union has filed a grievance on his behalf. Daniels said he wasn’t certain why he was removed from his role and that he “has no problem going back to patrol, I’m a Bridgeport Police officer and I will serve until my 25 years are complete”. That will be in October of 2013.
A Facebook official said the social network did intend to give its new @facebook.com e-mail addresses exclusive visibility on user profiles, but insists that a software bug is responsible for resetting your contacts’ e-mail addresses the same way. The social network’s faux paux that outraged Facebook users and prompted misdirected e-mails throughout the Web was actually caused by a bug, FB said. Read the full story here….
The Westport Police Department is proud to announce the addition of Police Service Dog Koda to its ranks.
Koda and his handler Officer James Loomer completed two months of training receiving certification in
narcotics detection and patrol work. Koda is a Belgian Malinois from Hungary and is 18 months old.
The Westport Police Department would like to thank those who donated to the K9 Unit during a recent
fundraising effort. From the numerous donations received, the unit was able to purchase Koda, as well as
a new patrol vehicle dedicated to his future service. The vehicle comes equipped with the latest kennel
system including a heat monitoring system that detects if the temperature in the vehicle is too hot. The
system automatically rolls down the windows, activates a fan affixed to the side of the kennel, and alerts the
handler via siren, and pager.
The police department looked for the community’s involvement by asking for help naming the new police
service dog. As a result, it will be recognizing a local youth who came up with the name Koda during
its “name the dog” contest.
