#Bridgeport – Mayor Joe Ganim announced today that he has provided a signed letter to the Personnel Director, Eric Amado, that will initiate an open and competitive civil service examination for the hiring of a Chief of Police for the City of Bridgeport for a five (5) year term appointment pursuant to Bridgeport City Charter.
Since no employment list currently exists for the position of Chief of Police, the Charter instructs the Personnel Director to administer an open and competitive exam and to certify the top (3) candidates to the Mayor within 150 days.
Personnel Director Eric Amado stated that he is “committed to administering an examination for Chief of Police that is transparent to the public, conducted in a professional manner, fair to all candidates, adheres to the Charter and all applicable law, has a nationwide reach, and yields the best candidate for the position.”
Next Steps
The Personnel Director will hire an expert recruitment and psychometric firm that will assist the Office of Civil Service administer the open and competitive examination.Together, the Personnel Director and expert firm will:Conduct meetings with community stakeholders, members of the City Council, and City staff to ensure that the job analysis and job description represents the qualifications, experience, and skills appropriate for service as a present-day urban police chief;Conduct a nationwide search that includes advertisement and recruitment throughout the United States;Design and administer a fair, open, and competitive examination to candidates that apply and meet the qualifications.Within one hundred fifty (150) days, the Personnel Director will certify the top three (3) names to the Mayor.The Mayor will announce a process involving public and stakeholder input that will aid him in vetting the top three (3) candidates.Within sixty (60) days of receipt of the top three (3) candidates, the Mayor will appoint one of them to be the Chief of Police and notify the Office of Civil Service, Board of Police Commissioners, and the public of said appointment.Upon appointment of a Chief of Police, the terms of his/her five (5) year appointment will be referred to the City Council for consideration and approval.
The Examination for Police Chief will be open to a nationwide search when the planning stages of the selection process have all been appropriately finalized. The City encourages all qualified candidates to apply.
Reference: Charter Provision Chapter 13 Section 4 attached.
This press release was made possible by:
