There were no arrests made, promotions given, or items for protection acquired, but Wednesday afternoon was certainly critical for the future of the Bridgeport Police Department.

 

At a meeting of the Bridgeport Police Civil Service Commission, the groundwork was put in place to bring the city’s police department back to full force. During the roughly 30-minute meeting, the Commission agreed to set the stage to create a list of eligible candidates to bring the staff back to full numbers.

 

Although the city is not suffering a manpower crisis with its police department, the problem lies with the pool of candidates available to replace existing vacancies and future ones. The Civil Service list that provides the Commission with candidates for vacancies or new positions is essentially exhausted.

 

Bridgeport Lt. Detective Gary Weaver told the Commission that the previous list of 16 candidates was left at seven. However, of those seven candidates only one candidate was available to be considered for a position. Civil Service rules require at least three candidates to be available for each position.

 

“We have several on the list (of seven) that asked for their names to be removed, and some were sent background packages. We also tried contacting others through certified mail and phone calls,” said Weaver, who added that all attempts at contact have been documented. “After that, there was just one person left on the list and that was a holdover from the previous list.”

 

With that in mind, Police Chief Mark Rogers recommended that physical and written testing be done to create a new list of candidates. Unlike the past where the physical and written testing was done on the same day, this time the Bridgeport Police are looking to follow the lead of the Clarksburg Police Department.

 

“One thing Clarksburg began doing recently was doing a few physical agility tests and then administering one written test at a later time,” said Rogers. “They saw value in that because what they were finding that the one date they were having that agility (testing) they weren’t able to get a consensus of everyone wanting to apply to be able to meet that date. Having multiple opportunities, they thought, has benefitted them.”

 

Bridgeport plans to have agility-physical testing July 15, July 22, and July 26 at Wayne Jamison Field. The plan is to have written testing July 29 at the Benedum Civic Center. Legal advertisements will be posted in the near future as a 30-day minimum notice is required prior to testing.

 

The list created from the upcoming testing will be used to fill at least two vacancies. Two officers have recently left – one going to the FBI and one to the U.S. Marshals.

 

Rogers said he was not sure when they would be officially on board as potential hires have to go through the State Police Academy, and he was not sure when the next rotation for that would begin. Ideally, he said, he hoped to have the positions filled “as soon as possible, definitely we hope by the end of the year.”

 

The only other item of concern was regarding the one candidate left on the list that will be replaced. The candidate was a holdover from the previous list and the Commission needs to check to see if that individual can be placed as a holdover for a second time.

 

“We don’t know if he has the option of doing that again,” said Rogers. Commission members also did not know.

 

Commissioners Jim Gray and Brian Kemmerer were in attendance to create a quorum. Along with Rogers and Weaver, Officers Brett Stewart and Jason Carey were on hand representing the Police Department. City Clerk Lauren Rogers and City Manager Brian Newton, along with Human Resources Director Jordan Hill. Council member Jon Griffith was on hand as a spectator.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows, from left, Bridgeport Police members Brett Stewart, Gary Weaver and Jason Carey. Second photo is of Chief Mark Rogers, while Jordan Hill is shown below.