BRIDGEWATER — Chief Christopher D. Delmonte and the men and women of the Bridgewater Police Department denounce the actions of the former Minneapolis police officers in the brutal murder of George Floyd recently.
“Our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of Mr. Floyd. We are angry and sickened by this heinous crime and how it was carried out against another human being. Those responsible must be held accountable and we must do everything possible as a nation and a profession to ensure it never happens again,” Chief Delmonte said.
As police officers our foremost responsibility is to serve and protect ALL people in our community. We are in the integrity business and this tragedy is at the heart of all we do. We are and should be held to the highest standards of honor and integrity, with the greatest appreciation for the sanctity of human life. We work everyday to build trust and earn the confidence of the people we serve, demonstrated by our respect and compassion for ALL.
We strongly support the voices calling for justice peacefully demonstrating around the nation, including here in Bridgewater. We are sworn to uphold, protect and defend everyone’s rights and power to freely express their outrage over this incident, an anger and disgust we share. We also have a duty and responsibility to pursue and prosecute those who seek to interfere with a person’s inalienable right to peacefully protest as an opportunity to damage property and harm others.
The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, representing Police Chiefs in all 351 cities and towns and most college and university Police Chiefs, has also denounced the egregious crimes committed by former members of the Minneapolis Police Department, whether by action or inaction, that resulted in the death of Mr. George Floyd. Police officers in Massachusetts have adopted the principles detailed in the final report of President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and remain committed to professional conduct of the highest order: fair and impartial policing for all people.
The Bridgewater Police Department is an accredited police agency by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and is one of only 93 law enforcement agencies to achieve that designation in Massachusetts. The department was first Accredited in 2016 and was recently awarded re-Accreditation in 2019. Accreditation is a voluntary process of external evaluation conducted every three years by which police departments strive to meet and maintain best practices and excellence in policing.
Officers of the Bridgewater Police Department receive regular in-service training and have received advanced training on the use of force, Integrating Communication, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT), mental health, fair and impartial policing and procedural justice and legitimacy.
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