Bridgeport firefighter warned of possible discipline

By Noelle Frampton
ConnPost STAFF WRITER
Updated: 07/11/2009 04:37:08 PM EDT

BRIDGEPORT -- The city firefighter ticketed last month for reckless driving has a history of public disturbances and erratic behavior, according to police and court records in three area towns.

David Greene, 41, hired 18 months ago, was taken for psychiatric evaluations by police in Fairfield, Shelton and Trumbull following disturbances that date to 2004, according to sources.

Greene, of 2151 Main St., was cautioned by his Bridgeport Fire Department superiors June 16 that he'll face "progressive discipline" if there are future problems, said department Executive Officer James Grace.

"He has fair warning," Grace said. "He was told "¦ 'You're being upheld to a higher standard. We're representing [civil service] all the time.' "

Greene was ticketed while off-duty for driving the wrong way through Fairfield's busy Post Road traffic circle June 13, the second time that month he'd been stopped in that town for reckless driving, police said.

In 2004, police were sent to investigate a call from an employee at the former Fleet Bank on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield and found him crying and beating his chest outside the bank because he'd arrived after closing and was having money troubles, documents indicate.

Searching his pickup truck, officers allegedly found a fully-loaded .22-caliber rifle and 12-gauge shotgun inside and took Greene for a psychiatric evaluation.

The Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney's office in Bridgeport Superior Court had no public record of that case, but reported that a driving under the influence charge from Monroe police was dismissed in November 2007 after Greene successfully completed the alcohol education program.

Trumbull police confirmed they responded to a disturbance at a Starbucks involving Greene on May 7, and took him to Bridgeport Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

In April 2007, Shelton police ticketed Greene for creating a public disturbance in a Starbucks on Bridgeport Avenue. He pleaded guilty and paid the fine, said Shelton Detective Ben Trabka, police spokesman.

Trabka said Greene's name prompts no records, and the infraction came up only after a date and place search, so it's possible none of it would be discovered by a background check for the firefighter job. He was hired by Bridgeport on Dec. 10, 2007.

Even if it did show up, Greene's background check was likely completed before 2004, said city Personnel Director Ralph Jacobs.

The list from which the newest firefighters, including Greene, was hired was compiled in 2002 and 2003 and not used for years, subject to controversy and litigation from candidates who felt it was unfair, he said.

The city's Civil Service Commission is in the process of revising its firefighter hiring procedures, while maintaining the same basic structure, with the goal of assuring everyone that the process is fair, Jacobs said.

The revised hiring process will include, as it does now, a written test, followed by oral panel interviews for top scorers, physical ability test, in-depth background check and medical examination, he said.

"If you have a criminal history, that doesn't necessarily mean we're not going to hire you," Jacobs said. "We're going to ask all kinds of questions. We try to get every single thing we can find; that doesn't mean we consider it all to be telling."

Grace said he wasn't aware of any specific incidents in Greene's past, other than the most recent three, until he spoke with a reporter last week.

Progressive discipline includes a verbal warning, a written warning, lost time and suspension, and finally, termination, he said.

Greene's supervisor, Capt. John Mazza, told Grace the firefighter has a good work ethic and "he had no problems with him. He seems to be very assertive in his job and what he has to do," Grace said. "I'm chasing all of this down and getting all of the documentation. I'm not a doctor to say that he has psychological problems."

He said he offered Greene the department's Employee Assistance Program, a confidential program designed to help firefighters deal with stress and personal problems.

Greene, contacted through a Fire Department spokesman, said in a telephone message that his lawyer had advised him not to comment until his pending Fairfield matter is settled.