Bridgeport police have stepped up patrols around an East Side church where a 4-year-old girl got stuck by a dirty syringe she had found on parish property last week, Police Chief Roderick Porter said Monday.

"We are using all available resources to keep the public safe," Porter said.

The city health director, Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez, was among officials who held a news conference outside Shekinah Glory First Methodist Tabernacle on Brooks Street Monday.

"We are concerned about dirty syringes being found by children and adults and we are taking steps to educate the public and keep them safe," Dr. Rodriguez said.

Eddy Michel, of Shekinah Glory First Methodist Tabernacle, says young children have been finding and playing with the needles, with at least one parent saying her 4-year-old daughter had to be treated at a hospital after sticking herself with an insulin syringe that appeared to contain blood.

"Last week, we removed at least 150 to 200 needles that might be infected -- and we have kids that might be around the community that could pick it up, stick themselves, which can create a lot of problems for our kids right here," Michel said.

A response team from Liberation Programs, a local nonprofit that addresses drug and addiction issues, was at the church Monday picking up dirty syringes and educating the public about ways to keep safe when confronted by discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia.

State Sen. Herron Gaston says he immediately alerted the Bridgeport Health Department after learning about the situation.

"I am pleased to see a full-scale response by the city, and I am encouraged to know that by sounding the alarm, we have brought light to a public health crisis that needs to be addressed and managed," Gaston said.