Getting to know the Bedford P.D.

June 02. 2018 5:19PM




To the Editor: What comes to mind when someone mentions police? Is it your last speeding ticket or a crime movie you saw? Unfortunately, this impression is likely incomplete.

Led by a team of professional, knowledgeable and dedicated police officers at all levels, we received a comprehensive introduction to what they do and how they do it - and we lived it during our attendance at the Bedford Police Department's Citizen's Police Academy.

We participated in traffic stops, building searches, firearms training, suspect interviews, courtroom testimony, crime scene processing, and more - all created for us (not the real thing of course, but so darn close!) in safe and controlled environments. This was supplemented with loads of information on communications processes, the investigation process, school safety and drug abuse abatement efforts, technology applications, our department's broader roles and coordination with federal and other local agencies, and so much more.

We are amazed by what our Bedford Police Department does every day, the sweeping span of tasks and services the department's members perform, and how well they do it, in part as measured in detail with comprehensive, standardized performance-measuring tools.

We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with our Bedford police officers and our classmates. It was lots of fun. More importantly though, it helped build a new bridge of understanding and personal connection between this group of Bedford's citizenry and one of our most vital and critical town services - community law enforcement.

This was a truly valuable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

P. STILLMANN and ANN DUSCHATKO

Bedford