I spend a lot of time in Bridgeport. I'll sure miss listening to the Bridgeport P.D. if they ever switch over to that encrypted operation. I've listened to them for a lot of years. Way back when they were on 39.10 mhz and they shared that channel with the Waterbury PD.
And when Bridgeport PD had car numbers such as 111, 112, 113, 208, 209, 210, 211, 312, 313, 314. Anybody remember those days ? Those cars were Black and Green. Later painted White and Green. Police Hqs was on Fairfield Ave near Lafayette. The Second Pct was at Artic and Caroline. And the Third Pct was on Fairfield Ave near King St (next to the old firehouse of Engine and Truck 11, an old Mack City service truck with ground ladders only)
Bridgeport PD dispatched Two Cadalliac City Ambulances. Car 100 and Car 200. Patrol 3 was the PD Paddy Wagon and pick up drunks from the street.
Well listening to the Bridgeport PD, whether it was 39.10 mhz or 154.725 mhz, was good while it lasted.
Yes, listening to the Bridgeport Police is now a thing of the past. I started listening to them in 1963 (?), my first year of high school. I remember one of the first calls I heard was a stabbing at Harding High school. It sure was a big thing then. That was in the days of green and black patrol cars and cars 210, 211, and 212 responded to that incident, along with Car 100, one of the City operated ambulances.
Then came the color sectors like Blue 11, Blue 12, Amber 21, Amber 22, Green 31, Green 32, and Red 41, Red 42. I think Red 42 had the toughest sector in the city. At the time it was lower East Main St and the Father Panik Village area. There were also Bpt PD Officers that walked Father Panik Village. That housing project was rated as one of the toughest in the COUNTRY.
The city got split up for a while. The west side operated on 155.43 mhz and the east side operated on 154.725 mhz. That was kind of hard to follow the action. Then shortly after the main dispatch went to 154.725 and mv checks etc went over 155.43.
I think it was in 1992 when Bridgeport had 92 murders. It had one of the highest murder rates in the country. Topped by only a few other places like Miami, Wash, D.C., and maybe Detroit. You actually had a better chance of being murdered in Bridgeport than in NYC. And thats when NYC was really bad too.
On a hot summer night, the file numbers would reach over 500 calls. From 0001 hrs to 2400 hrs. Priority Calls would be backed up 2 or 3 hours. From the 80s and into the 90s, those Bridgeport Police Officers sure earned their pay.
Bridgeport still remains one very tough place, but it has quieted down from its out of control roaring 80s and 90s. For any scanner buff, the Bridgeport Police Dept was always a favorite though. Anybody that had a scanner, even outside of Bridgeport would always follow the action. Whether it was shots fired, a foot chase or a store robbed, people of all walks of life enjoyed listening to them. I guess as somebody earlier said, "so did the criminials".
So now its over. No more. A hobby that I enjoyed for over 40 years has now been taken away because of the criminial element. I would love it when hearing a foot chase and I would hear, "I got him, hes in custody". Great job to those in Blue that protect the citizens and its visitors of the Park City. But I know, that even though we may not be able to hear you out there anymore, you are still out there, risking it all to protect us from those viscious criminials, who wouldn't have second thoughts of taking us from this earth.
