Bridgeport's new police chief was sworn in Thursday during a ceremony.

Mayor Joe Ganim swore in Police Chief Roderick Porter.

Porter is a 30-year police veteran and started his career in the early 1990s with Bridgeport police.

Porter was selected out of 18 other candidates, including former acting Police Chief Rebecca Garcia.

He says since joining the force, he has had his eyes on this position. But for years, the chief of police position has been the center of controversy back in 2018. Porter was a finalist in the search, but Ganim tapped AJ Perez to be the police chief position. In 2020, Perez was arrested and later served time in federal prison for cheating on the police chief exam.

Porter was one of three finalists this time for the job following a search from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

He says he wants the public to get to know him.

"I'm a really empathetic person and I understand their needs and I'm going to be there for them and were going to reach out to them and I'm going to make them proud. I think they're going to look out and be proud of what I do. Not everything is going to be smooth, but I think I'm someone that they can always look at as someone who is trustworthy and will make them proud," Porter said.

The new police chief says he wants all his officers to carry empathy with them when patrolling neighborhoods in Bridgeport.