Robert Bongiorno, Chief of Police
2 Mudge Way
Bedford, MA 01730Lowell Police Department
William Taylor, Superintendent
50 Arcand Drive
Lowell, MA 01852
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Bedford Police and Lowell Police Join Middlesex Community College in Urging Back to Campus Safety
BEDFORD/LOWELL — Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and Lowell Police Superintendent William Taylor are joining Middlesex Community College’s Public Safety department urging students, faculty, and members of the public to be safe and smart during the 2016 “back to campus” season.
Fall classes begin at Middlesex Community College on September 7. The College plans to welcome nearly 8,000 students to its campuses in Bedford and Lowell.
Chief Bongiorno and Superintendent Taylor are using the return to remind students:
- Lock your vehicles at all times.
- Be alert and aware of traffic and vehicles while walking through parking lots and roadways on and around the two campuses.
- If you see something, say something. MCC’s campuses are open to the public, but be aware and don’t be afraid to speak up if someone or something looks suspicious or out of place.
- Dial 911 in case of emergency. Or, for Non-life threatening emergencies, call 781-589-0234 in Bedford or 781-589-1384 in Lowell.
- Sign up to receive emergency text alerts, including important school cancellations, via the college’s texting system at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/winter/default.aspx
Bedford and Lowell Police have a unique and valuable relationship with Middlesex Community College. In addition to MCC’s 24 hour campus safety patrols, each police department has assigned a full-time Campus Resource Officer to the campus for campus safety and security. With concurrent jurisdiction, the two officers are able to work with campus security officers, personnel, and each other, traveling between the campuses in case of emergency.
Bedford Officer Craig Naylor and Lowell Officer Thomas Hickey spend their days on their respective MCC campuses.
The officers respond to and are trained to handle the unique challenges of a campus environment including, but not limited to:
- Behavioral threat assessment
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Sexual violence prevention and response
- Lockdown and active shooter response strategies
- Title IX resources
- Student conduct and discipline
During the 2015-2016 academic year, the MCC Public Safety staff, along with the Campus Resource Officers, has trained more than 500 faculty, staff, and students on safety topics including active shooter training and critical incident response. Additional training session will be offered throughout the coming academic year.
“The addition of personnel from the Bedford and Lowell Police Department has greatly enhanced our public safety efforts on both campuses, and has provided our students, staff and faculty with a tremendous resource immediately on hand for a myriad of learning opportunities,” said Patrick Cook, MCC’s Executive Director of Public Affairs.
“By embedding a municipal police officer full-time with one of our community’s largest stakeholders, we have created a seamless safety culture and knocked down the public safety barriers that exist in some college communities,” Chief Bongiorno said. “The program also gives Middlesex Community College access to the resources of the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) as both police departments are members in good standing.”
“Middlesex Community College is an excellent law enforcement partner. As a team, our three agencies have made campus security more efficient by putting the first responding agency directly on campus,” Superintendent Taylor said. “I am proud to stand with Chief Bongiorno in supporting this program by allocating a Lowell Police Officer to Middlesex Community College full-time.”
For the past three years, Bedford Police and MCC also partnered to create a Service Learning Program for the college’s Criminal Justice students. For this year’s program, students in the Introduction to Criminal Justice course, taught by Professor Ronald Brevard, analyzed the causes of automobile accidents in Bedford and created a quantitative research package.
To learn more about MCC’s Campus Resource Officer program, contact Patrick Cook at cookp@middlesex.mass.edu or at 978-656-3134.
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