For Immediate Release

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Bedford Police Honor Officers and Staff at Awards Ceremony

BEDFORD — Chief Robert Bongiorno is pleased to announce that the Bedford Police Department recognized several of its officers and staff at its awards ceremony late last month.

On Thursday, June 28, the department honored numerous individuals for their actions that resulted in lives being saved, suspects being apprehended and an enhanced presence by Bedford Police in the community.

“Modern policing carries a wide ranging set of responsibilities, and I’m proud of all of our officers for their commitment to fulfilling those duties and responding to unpredictable circumstances,” Chief Bongiorno said. “Each of these individuals went above and beyond the call of duty, and I’m grateful for their continued service on behalf of the Bedford community.”

• Officer Jeffrey Vinciulla, Detective Gary Martin, Officer Robert Abajian, Officer Stephen Waite and Officer Timothy Pike were all commended for their efforts last March that helped save the life of fellow officer Jeffrey French after he collapsed during a basketball game against high school seniors. The officers all immediately took action, administering first aid, calling for assistance and successfully reviving Officer French so that he could ultimately recover and eventually return to work. Additionally, volunteer game officials Nikki Taylor and Christopher Wesinger were presented with a plaque and letter of appreciation for their efforts to keep bystanders calm during the incident.
• Emergency Communications Officers (ECO) Claudia Foy and Mary Ellen Brickey were recognized for their work responding to an emergency call last June, in which a motorist found a man unresponsive in his vehicle. ECO Foy provided the caller with instructions to begin resuscitating the man prior to him awaking and driving away prior to police arrival. Foy and Brickley then tracked the vehicle using 911 mapping and contacted Lexington Police, who ensured the motorist went to the hospital for further evaluation.
• Sgt. Patrick Towle was commended for his efforts last December to deescalate a situation involving an individual who had a knife in their possession and was threatening to harm herself.
• Officer Jared Weisenborn was presented with a commendation for quickly locating a fleeing suspect in the water on a freezing cold night and ensuring that he avoided hypothermia and possible death.
• Lt. James Graham, Sgt. Jeffrey Wardwell, Animal Control Officer Michael Leskouski and Officers Abajian, Craig Naylor and Jason Kennedy were recognized for their cooperation and teamwork in investigating a bank robbery last September, resulting in the arrest of a suspect later that day.
• ECO Vinciulla and ECO Cheryl Dooley earned commendations for their work in a single shift last July. They first successfully located and obtained assistance for a man who had been threatening to harm himself, and later provided instructions to a person with an obstructed airway that helped prevent them from choking.
• Officers Kristen Dineen, Eric Isnor and Charles Henckler, Sgt. Richard Vitale and Detective Martin were honored for their work that resulted in the apprehension of two suspects who were allegedly involved in an organized criminal effort to make fraudulent withdrawals from ATMs throughout the northeast.
• ECO Matthew Newman earned a commendation for maintaining control over an evolving situation in which three people fell victim to an overdose, ensuring that adequate resources were dispatched to ensure the survival of all three.
• Lt. Graham, Lt. Jones, Sgt. Ronald Undzis, Sgt. Paul Saunders, Officers Sheldon Maloney, Thomas Devine, Timothy Barry, Detective Marc Saucier, Detective Sgt. Michael L’Heureux all were honored for their efforts to conduct a wide ranging multi-agency investigation into a bank robbery that led to a suspect being arrested for multiple robberies following a standoff with Boston Police.
• Officers Naylor and James Hunt were recognized for coordinating with another agency to identify a suspect in multiple thefts and break-ins at college campuses in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
• Sgt. Wardwell, Sgt. Vitale, Detective Martin, ACO Michael Leskouski, Officers Abajian, Pike, Maloney, Waite, French, Isnor, Kennedy and Vinciulla were all presented with commendations for their work organizing the annual high school basketball league.

###