#Bridgeport, CT – June 16, 2014 – Police Capt. Robert Gearing hasn’t sought accolades while spending countless hours working to make the city’s East Side and East End a safe and stable place for its residents, visitors and business people.

He received them nonetheless Monday.

At the request of the council members from those neighborhoods, Mayor Bill Finch named June 16, 2014, as “Captain Robert Gearing Day” in a proclamation presented Monday at the City Council meeting.

“Captain Gearing is an outstanding supervisor in an outstanding police department. His body of work speaks for itself,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “What speaks even louder about that work ethic is how valued he is by the community in which he works.”

Councilwoman Eneida Martinez-Walker and Lydia Martinez, Milta Feliciano and James Holloway, her fellow council members from the East Side/East End, wanted to recognize Capt. Gearing for the efforts he had made in their community.

“Many words come to mind,” said Councilwoman Martinez-Walker. “From the moment we started working with him, we could tell how personally he takes this job. He has built a compassionate, respectful, fair and family oriented environment for all of this community.

“Any concern I have ever raised, he had immediately worked to address it. He has served our community so well and we felt we needed to let him know.”

Gearing has served the residents of Bridgeport since 1985 as a police officer. He was promoted to captain in 2007 and has been the commander of the East Side and East End since 2011.

“At the department, we see every day how hard Bobby works for his neighborhoods,” said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. “It is really gratifying that the community sees in Bobby what we see – a great cop who never stops working.”

Gearing said he was “humbled” by the recognition but shifted the praise to the men and women under his command.

“These officers, they are the true heroes., the patrol officers, the sergeants, the lieutenants.”