Middlesex County Sheriff Introduces TRIAD Program to Bedford Council on Aging

Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, along with Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno, addressed the Bedford Council on Aging Thursday morning concerning the relationship between the Sheriff's Office and the Bedford Police Department, as well as on the dangers facing senior citizens and how Koutoujian's TRIAD program addresses these dangers.

Bongiorno said since he has become Police Chief, Koutoujian has always made it a priority to lend a hand to BPD whenever asked to do so, citing the sheriff's willingness to find the funds to aid BPD in supervising detainees.

"What happens is we have to take officers off the street that provide protection to you to watch a prisoner," Bongiorno said. "To me that looked like wasted resources for your tax dollars."

Bongiorno said he reached out to the sheriff, who found a way to provide aid to county police chiefs for supervising detainees. 

"The sheriff didn't stick his head in the sand, he tackled the problem," Bongiorno said. "He said if it's a concern of the chiefs in the county, I'm going to deal with it. Lo and behold the sheriff came up with the funding and he came up with the resources."

Koutoujian introduced the TRIAD program to the BCA, which focuses on having local public safety officials address seniors on the specific issues facing each Middlesex County community.

The TRIAD program also includes a "safety net" component in which participants enroll to receive a bracelet, which can then be activated to track the location of a senior citizen who may have become lost. 

"Our safety net program is about protecting seniors with cognitive disabilities, like Alzheimer's and kids with autism," Koutoujian said.

The Sheriff's Office is currently focusing on introducing the TRIAD program to communities in Middlesex County, and within the next few months plans to implement the practical components of the plan, such as the educational speakers and the safety net bracelets.

"We're introducing it to communities now," Koutoujian said. "We will then begin the more structural componenents of the plan."

Koutoujian said he plans to continue to work with BPD to regionalize efforts, especially in areas such as supervising detainees.

"We're moving toward regionalization in law enforcement and providing regional support for their mission," Koutoujian said. "It is the appropriate trend to share our efficiencies."