According to an FOIC proposed final decision , the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) will likely be ordered to release files relating to a complaint that the CHRO filed against the city, accusing the Bridgeport Police Department of racially profiling drivers.
The CHRO complaint follows a 2018 flagging of the Bridgeport Police Department by the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project (CTRP3) for having an above-average racial disparity in traffic stops and violations. BPD was the only municipal department in the state to have been flagged by CTRP3 that year. The decision to file the complaint appears to have been made in executive session at a CHRO meeting held on June 9, 2022.
The City of Bridgeport initially filed a FOIA request with the CHRO on Aug. 16, 2023, which the CHRO acknowledged on Aug. 21. The CHRO then responded on Aug. 25, saying the “request is currently being reviewed and will be processed once the information you’ve requested [has] been compiled. The City proceeded to file a FOIC complaint on Sept. 13, alleging that the CHRO had violated FOIA by not promptly releasing the files. Per the ruling, the FOIC asserted that the records requested were public records that fell under the purview of FOIA…