Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport Police Officer #930 is a bad apple; a petty bully; a boy in a man's uniform looking for trouble.
Here's how it went down:
In Bridgeport, Connecticut, I was driving home from an errand one day in April 2008. Upon approaching the dead end on which I live, I noticed that a construction crew was working at the only entrance. I activated my turn signal, pointed my finger in the direction of entry, and patiently waited for permission to enter. After some delay, a road worker noticed my standing vehicle and politely asked if I lived on the street. I politely nodded. Officer #930 of the Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut, then took notice of me and waved me onto the street. The encounter should have ended pleasantly at this point, but it did not.
As I passed, the officer suddenly hollered impolite things into my vehicle, including something to the effect of "Hey! I don't take mind-reading lessons!" As this outburst from left-field was completely unprovoked, I initially wasn't sure what was going on; however, I quickly realized from his loud tone and disrespectful manner that this officer was deriding me as I passed -- apparently for kicks. Because I believe that the police have a duty to be respectful to the public and to refrain from insulting, childlike behavior (such as mocking motorists), I stopped my vehicle and asked for his shield number.
The officer responded to my request for his shield by adopting the imposing and threatening manner of a thug, approaching my driver's side aggressively and coming close to my face with eyes wide. Although he never laid hands on me, he came at me in a way that breached my comfort zone, and his actions produced a visceral urge to defend myself. Tension was high, and there was something distinctly uneducated and street-like about his in-your-face style. I obtained the shield number from his cap and drove away, thinking this loose cannon might go postal on me.
Moment later, at the direction of the Police dispatcher, whom I had called to complain, I left my street and drove to Police Headquarters to report this incident. Bridgeport Police #930 allowed me to leave my street, but only with a dirty, intimidating look. At headquarters, the Sergeant who took my complaint seemed superficially genteel -- almost patronizing -- and predisposed to sympathizing with the officer's position. There was also some chucking by officers sitting behind the watch desk as I tried to convey my frustrations, so I decided to leave the Police station without filing a report through their established channels.
Upon returning to my street from Police Headquarters, the same officer, Bridgeport Police #930, blocked me from entering my own street without providing a reason. At the entry to the street, he barked at me to simply, "MOVE! MOVE! Move the car!" and directed me to keep going. "You're not going in there," he said, in a confrontational tone, referring to the street on which I live! While construction was in progress, I could see that there was a direct path of entry that he was clearly denying out of spite. I literally had to wait for him to leave the area before I could gain access to my street.
This is an example of petty abuse of police power. There was no violence involved in this case, but it is still a despicable form of intimidation and a violation of public trust. Rather than acting in a way that is becoming of a police officer, Bridgeport Police #930 stood on that street corner and raked in overtime tax-dollars with a chip on his shoulder. He jumped at the opportunity to showcase his swaggering bad manners and make himself look tough. He resorted to bullying, deriding and intimidating a passing motorist from behind the safety of his shield. No officer -- no man -- should be permitted to wantonly harass people in this way with impunity.
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