Submitted on behalf of the Bedford Police Department
Chief Robert Bongiorno is pleased to share that the Bedford Police Department recently recognized several of its officers and staff at its annual awards ceremony.
On Friday, June 28, the department honored numerous individuals during a ceremony at Middlesex Community College for their outstanding police work over the last year.
“Our officers are tasked with responding to a wide variety of complex situations every day, and this annual awards ceremony gives us the opportunity to celebrate and recognize their extraordinary dedication, training, and perseverance,” Chief Bongiorno said. “Congratulations to each of those recognized at the ceremony. Bedford is a safer place thanks to your remarkable police work.”
- Sgt. Patrick Towle, Sgt. Jeffrey Wardwell and Lead Emergency Communication Officer (ECO) Jeffrey Vinciulla were honored for their response as members of the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) as team leaders during the Merrimack Valley gas disaster in September 2018. Sgt. Towle, Sgt. Wardwell and Officer Vinciulla witnessed multiple explosions and fires and rescued multiple people. They each demonstrated outstanding leadership and teamwork.
- Detective Sgt. Michael L’Heureux and Officer Timothy Pike were recognized for their efforts to investigate and identify an individual who eventually confessed to stealing credit card information and making fraudulent purchases.
- Officers Stephen Waite and Jared Weisenborn were commended for their efforts in arresting a man for outstanding warrants this April during a traffic stop. The man was later charged with Possession of a Class D drug with the intent to distribute following a vehicle inventory search. During the search, police found large quantities of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
- Officer Timothy Pike was recognized for his response to a road rage incident involving a handgun in March. He observed the vehicle enter Bedford from Burlington and was able to secure both the driver and passenger involved.
- Officers Robert Abajian and Jared Weisenborn were honored for their lifesaving first aid during an incident in February 2019. The officers applied a tourniquet to a severely injured man after responding to a 911 hang-up call.
- Sgt. Saunders, Officer Dineen, Officer French, ECO Dooley, and ECO Vinciulla were commended for their efforts to locate a missing woman suffering from substance use and mental health concerns in September 2018.
- Officers Eric Isnor and Jeffrey French were honored for their efforts in August 2018 to locate a missing elderly man suffering from dementia.
- Sgt. Richard Vitale was recognized for his deescalation of an incident in August 2018 involving a man with a machete who was standing in a roadway. Sgt. Vitale was able to deescalate the man during a very tense standoff, during which the man raised his machete and began approaching police.
Members of the Bedford Police-Recreation Basketball League were also recognized at the ceremony, including Sgt. Vitale, Sgt. Wardwell, Officer Abajian, Officer French, Officer Isnor, Officer Vinicuilla, Officer Pike, Officer Waite, Officer Jason Kennedy, Officer Sheldon Maloney, Detective Gary Martin, ECO Mary Ellen Brickley, and ECO Justin Brooks.
The Bedford Police-Recreation Basketball League is a basketball league for high school students and police officers and allows Bedford police to form positive connections with local teens.
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