Will Bridgeport require new cops stay for a specific number of years?
BRIDGEPORT  Since April the city has been recruiting new police cadets through a campaign dubbed Make the Shift.  Now, Acting Chief Rebeca Garcia is also looking into whether she can require these new officers to stay for a specific period of time so the city gets its moneys worth from the costs of training them. On average, it costs up to $40,000 to train each officer. Other municipalities are getting our expertise (and) training, Councilwoman Jeanette Herron said this week. She said if officers had to remain on the job a minimum of five years they would become vested in the community and will hopefully settle down in the city. According to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council, municipalities can try to recoup half of training expenses from a new recruits new employer if that officer leaves within two years for another law enforcement position. Garcia said she has attempted this, but did not indicate whether she has had success. But the acting chief is now recommending Bridgeport impose a new contractual restriction on future recruits preventing them from transferring out of Bridgeport to other departments for around five years. She informed the City Council of her idea in April and confirmed last month to Hearst Connecticut Media that she still wants to do it. And based on some data she provided, there is growing cause for concern that retention is a problem. According to Garcia, a total of three officers departed Bridgeport for other municipalities in 2019 and again in 2020. But as of mid-May of this year, six had already transferred. She said Hamden, Shelton and Stamford have been popular destinations. Her proposal has support from some on the council. But some private labor attorneys have raised questions about either the legality or practicality of such a limitation, while the police union urged Garcia and the city instead focus on making the job of policing Bridgeport more appealing. Were researching the legality of the issue, Larry Dorman, spokesman for the unions parent organization, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said in a statement. The best thing the city and the department can do to retain officers is to offer an attractive compensation package and good working conditions.  Garcia has repeatedly stated that departing officers in exit interviews have told her the cost of healthcare is a big factor. New recruits are faced with annually rising rates capped at 50 percent and retiring without continued coverage  contractual changes negotiated a few years ago to try and reduce municipal insurance costs. This matter (of healthcare costs) has to be addressed by other entities, Garcia told Hearst last month. In other words, Mayor Joe Ganims administration, which has begun contract talks with the union. The current five-year pact expires at the end of this month. Meanwhile, Eric Amado, the citys labor relations director, said there have been no firm decisions related to a length-of-employment requirements for new police officers. There remains the need for significant engagement with the city attorneys office, labor relations and administration prior to enacting something like this, he said. Professor John DeCarlo, director of the University of New Havens masters program in criminal justice, said he understands the rationale behind Garcias 5-year requirement. Theres more chance of employee mobility under seven years ... than there is over seven years, he said. You become invested in the department after that time. You settle in a community and it becomes less advantageous or more energy for you to move.  But DeCarlo questioned the legality of requiring officers to remain on any force for a set length of time. Two prominent Bridgeport labor attorneys  Thomas Bucci and Edward Gavin  in separate interviews offered their own thoughts on the concept. Bucci noted non-compete agreements exist within the private healthcare and other industries barring employees from seeking similar work within a year or 15 miles of their current job. But he questioned whether such an arrangement could occur in the public sector, and if it could exist between the city and individual officers, or would have to be agreed to by the police union. Id imagine the union would argue any restriction on an officers conditions of employment has to be negotiated, Bucci said. Gavin said he believes Garcias approach would be enforceable, citing the military Reserve Officers Training Corps as a precedent. Well pay your college but you owe us three years (of military service), Gavin said. But he questioned whether doing something similar with police cadets in Bridgeport would be successful given he was not aware of any other cities or towns imposing such restrictions. Why would any of the recruits take a conditional appointment to the academy knowing they were locked into Bridgeport for five years? he said. And he also wondered if the city would take an officer who left early to court to try to recoup the training costs, and if a young officer would be able to pay. While Garcia blames transfers on healthcare, the police union  which in March voted no confidence in her leadership  has complained about low morale within the department. As reported in April, police union grievances are up. Also last September then-Police Chief Armando Perez was arrested for cheating to get that job in 2018. He pleaded guilty and reported to federal prison May 24 to begin his one year, one day sentence. And this month the president of the Bridgeport Guardians, the forces minority officer organization, called for Garcias removal, alleging the groups members  especially Black officers  have been subjected to disparate treatment and a hostile work environment.  Bucci is currently representing some officers in a court challenge to Garcias promotion to assistant chief in December, 2019. That promotion put her in line to become acting top cop following Perezs arrest and resignation. Instead of forcing people to stay that dont want to stay, lets get to the underlying issues and study why they are leaving, Bucci said. I dont remember officers leaving in the numbers weve seen in this recent year.