Bedford Police Partner with Middlesex Community College to Create Criminal Justice Service Learning Program

BEDFORD, MA - The Bedford Police Department has partnered with Middlesex Community College (MCC) to create a Service Learning Program for the college's Criminal Justice Program, Police Chief Robert Bongiorno announced last week.

The Service Learning Program was designed for the Introduction to Criminal Justice course, taught by Professor Ronald Brevard. The Bedford Police Department created a hands-on project for the class, which included analyzing motor vehicle crashes throughout the town of Bedford. This is the third time the department has collaborated on a semester-long project with Professor Brevard at MCC.

For the project, students sought to identify the main causes of distracted driving in Bedford, where distracted driving most often occurs, and what type of distracted driving is most prevalent in each area. With the assistance of Lt. James Graham, students identified the following categories as causes for distracted driving: manually operating an electronic device, talking on a hands free device, talking on a handheld device, other activities, passenger distractions and external distractions.

Students observed drivers at five major intersections:

• Ashby Road at Great Road
• The Bedford Marketplace
• Concord Road at North Road
• Carlisle Road at North Road
• Shawsheen Road at Great Road

After finishing their field study, students presented their findings to members of the Bedford Police Department, developing conclusions from their research as well as recommendations to the department on how to cut down on distracted driving in Bedford.

"The students at MCC did a wonderful job with this project," Bongiorno said. "This educational collaboration allows students to get a dose of hands-on police experience while giving the department more personalized data and research to act upon. The course has proved fruitful for everyone involved."