Date: August 30, 2005
By DENNIS SHAUGHNESSEY, Sun Staff
LOWELL -- The Northeast may soon become one of the leaders in law-enforcement technology and training, thanks to a $500,000 appropriation from the federal government.
U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan and U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry have targeted the communities of Middlesex and Essex counties for the creation of a Regional Technology Training Law Enforcement Collaborative. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are expected to vote on final passage today.
Middlesex Community College, the largest community college in the state with campuses in Lowell and Bedford, and the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council will set up a state-of-the-art education and training program for first responders.
“This is a unique partnership, and Middlesex is a natural because the police academy operates from the college,” Meehan said. “It's a great proposal and it's vital to ensuring that our law-enforcement officers have the tools they need to respond to emergency situations and ensure the safety of the commonwealth,” Meehan said. “No other organization in the state provides this level of comprehensive training for local law enforcement, so I'm pleased that we were able to secure the funding.
“I'm also grateful for the tremendous support we received from Senator Kennedy's office.”
Training will take place at MCC and President Carole Cowan said the partnership between higher education and law enforcement is ideal for training the men and women who protect the communities in the Northeast.
“This new initiative will allow us to directly provide training in an area that the NEMLEC police agencies have identified as a critical need -- the area of cyber crime, regional crime analysis and computer crimes involving identity theft and sexual predators,” Cowan said. “Middlesex has long enjoyed strong relationships with our community of emergency responders and we are thrilled our delegation recognized the importance of this partnership.”
Kennedy has thrown wide support behind the appropriation and is planning on visiting MCC when the program is launched.
“This is an important funding request and in the years to come this innovative partnership will yield great benefits for the entire commonwealth,” Kennedy said
Kerry agreed, saying, “By investing in state-of-the-art programs for our law enforcement, we are making a long-term commitment to the safety of citizens in Massachusetts.”
In a case like the one where a former assistant Boy Scout leader from Ayer pleaded guilty to e-mailing pictures of naked boys to an undercover New Hampshire police officer, technology training for Massachusetts officers would be an asset. Presently, officers in the Northeast often need to travel to Alabama, Louisiana and Florida to receive technology training.
“Our goal is to offer training right here in Lowell,” said Patrick Cook, MCC director of government relations. “There are experts throughout the state who have no place to do it.”
The $500,000 will be included in a larger Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations bill that is expected to pass in the U.S. House and Senate today. The money will be used to outfit a “cyberlab” at the college, which will serve as an integral part of NEMLEC training. NEMLEC is a consortium of the 44 Police Departments and two Sheriff Departments in Middlesex and Essex Counties.
NEMLEC President Robert Champagne, who is also Peabody's police chief said the partnership and the funding “makes tremendous sense. Technology and related training are some of the most important challenges facing law enforcement today.”
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