To the Editor:

On any day, any and every town of Bedford department can be distinguished as meritorious. Today I speak of the BPD. Our police chief, John J. Bryfonski, is an exceptional public servant who leads from the front, and only steps back to allow the blue brigade to receive recognition and honors.

His achievements at the national, state and local level are many. Since joining the BPD in early 2011, the Chief has either been a speaker or participant in various local and state forums on the substance abuse problem. He has also offered testimony before the state legislature and has spoken statewide at various events. The Chief, having 27 years with the DEA, and a lifetime of knowledge, has organized several Bedford symposiums on substance abuse. One such event resulted in the formation of a community coalition called BeBold (Bedford Living Our Lives Drug Free). The department also received a COPS grant (Community Oriented Policing) and the Chief has paired with Goffstown’s Police Chief for the Police Partners Program, a referral program for those suffering from drug addiction.

The initiatives John Bryfonski and his police department have brought forth are indeed noteworthy and not gone unnoticed nationally either. Recently, the chief was invited to the White House to join a select group of very knowledgeable and experienced police chiefs to discuss elements of community policing and how it can be improved. President Obama spoke with the group passionately about the need for closer and better relationships between police and citizens. No finer compliment could be extended to the chief and the BPD than being invited to meet with the President in this prestigious grouping.

I tell you all this now because in my judgment you have one of the finest and most professional police departments in this state.