Boston Marathon SWAT Team Leader Patrick Towle to Receive MCC Distinguished Alumni Award

Sgt. Patrick Towle of the Bedford Police Department, who led the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) SWAT team response in the days following the Boston Marathon bombing, will receive Middlesex Community College’s 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award at Commencement exercises, to be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 22, in Lowell Memorial Auditorium - Courtesy photo — Sgt. Patrick Towle of the Bedford Police Department, who led the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) SWAT team response in the days following the Boston Marathon bombing, will receive Middlesex Community College’s 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award during MCC’s Commencement exercises in May. Courtesy photo

Submitted by Middlesex Community College

Middlesex Community College will present its 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award to Sgt. Patrick Towle of the Bedford Police Department, a 1985 MCC graduate who led the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) SWAT team response in the days following the Boston Marathon bombing.

A lifelong Bedford resident, Towle will receive the award at MCC’s 2014 Commencement exercises, to be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 22, in Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

“The NEMLEC SWAT unit was there from Monday through Friday of that historic week, working as one, and proudly representing the 57 cities and towns that comprise the NEMLEC region,” said Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno. “Their work in those five days is immeasurable, and I’m proud to say that (Sgt. Towle) represented Bedford well in that crisis.”

Towle is a “consummate leader” Bongiorno added. “He is respected and followed, and exemplifies what you want from a leader. Sgt. Towle will rise to whatever occasion he is faced with, but he always does it in a manner that is professional and with the greater interest of public safety as his focus.”

MCC’s Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually to a graduate who demonstrates achievement in their career or other areas of life, exceptional service to the community, and commitment to Middlesex, as well as integrity and character.

For more information about MCC’s Distinguished Alumni Award, contact Dennis Malvers, Dean of College Advancement, at [email protected] or 781-280-3514.