After an election that has attracted national attention, Joe Ganim (D) will be returning to the mayor’s office.
The mayor-elect reaffirmed his commitment to public safety in a press conference Friday morning, a day after the city’s 16th homicide of the year.
“We will try different things, being more visible, in order to address what I think has become too many shootings and as recently as last night, too many homicides,” Ganim said.
The Bridgeport Police Officer’s Union Local 1159 was among the groups that backed Ganim to victory in the election. Officers are hoping he’ll fulfill his promises to improve both staffing levels and the morale in the department.
“I do know they need the manning levels to get the job done,” Ganim said.
The union president Sgt. Chuck Paris said the department is down about 100 officers, while responding to 400 calls a day.
“The problem is our officers are chasing calls at an unbelievable rate,” Sgt. Paris said.
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Ganim said he’s exploring ways to accelerate the hiring of more officers.
“Whether we look at the status of the class, do we double up can we actively recruit from other departments, not necessarily steal their officers, retired officers,” he said.
A factor contributing to low morale is not one, but two racist memos printed on official police letterhead in the past year. Sgt. Paris said officers are still waiting for the findings from the investigation into the letters.
“Our officers have been accused of being a racist department, which is totally untrue,” Sgt. Paris said. “We have hardworking men and women in our department and it’s about time we find out what’s going on with this investigation.”
As he assembles his transition team, Ganim said he spoke on the phone Friday with Governor Dannel Malloy and met with leaders of Bridgeport’s business community. He moves back into the mayor’s office on Dec. 1.
