Springfield Police Officers Recognized by U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts for Participation in Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods
Back row, from left: Springfield Police Officer Dads Dominique, Springfield Police Deputy Chief Steven Kent, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Nathaniel R. Mendell and Springfield Police Sgt. Jaime Bruno. Front row: Project Safe Childhood Specialist Karen Legace. (Photo Courtesy Springfield Police Department)
Springfield, Mass. — The Springfield Police Department is pleased to announce that two Springfield Police officers have been recognized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Sgt. Jaime Bruno and Officer Dads Dominique received the Excellence in Community Outreach and Prevention Award. They were nominated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla and Project Safe Childhood Specialist Karen Legace.
Awards are given to a limited number of law enforcement personnel and community leaders to recognize their extraordinary commitment to justice and public safety. Sgt. Bruno and Officer Dominique were notified about their selection for the award in April, and were honored at the 2021 Law Enforcement Award Ceremony on Oct. 28 at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston.
Sgt. Bruno and Officer Dominique were recognized for their commitment to youth through their participation in the Project Safe Neighborhoods: You Can Be Anything You Want to Be Speaker Series. They participated virtually in the series as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods’ (PSN) effort to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. The speaker series provided positive role models to help deter at-risk youth from getting involved in gang activity, drugs and crime, and keep them on track for high school graduation and beyond.
In March 2020, the Springfield Public Schools became fully remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic and continued remote learning through much of the following 2020-2021 school year. This is difficult for students, especially for youth in urban districts who statistically are more likely to live in poverty, have a higher high school dropout rate and are at an increased risk for being involved in gang activity. Sgt. Bruno and Officer Dominique spoke to students about the different paths they took in their education and law enforcement careers, the importance of education and their commitment to serving their community.
“Outreach is an important part of our officers’ jobs and it’s always great for them to be out in the community interacting with our youngest residents and sharing their stories,” Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood said. “Sgt. Bruno and Officer Dominique helped show kids the many different paths they can take in life by sharing their own journeys through their education and careers, and I am very proud to see them recognized for their work with and commitment to Springfield’s students.”
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno states, “Congratulations to Sgt. Jaime Bruno and Officer Dads Dominique on this well-deserved acknowledgement. Their continued and unyielding dedication and commitment to serving the residents and business community of our Springfield is truly commendable and it is great to see that their hard work and selfless commitment to community service was recognized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts. Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and I are proud of all of our brave and dedicated men and women in Blue for their continued efforts serving our Springfield community day-in and day-out. On behalf of the entire Springfield Police Department and all of our residents and businesses – Congratulations Sgt. Jaime Bruno and Officer Dads Dominique!”
Read more about the Project Safe Neighborhoods program here, and PSN projects in Massachusetts here.
