New Bedford police officer named veteran of the year

NEW BEDFORD, R.I. (WLNE) – New Bedford police officer Dean Lawrence has been named veteran of the year by Veteran’s Transition House.

Officer Lawrence has served the city for over 25 years, and has been in the united states military for over 3 decades. He has been deployed several times, serving during Operation Desert-Shield in the 1990’s, Bosnia in 2000, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Lawrence has been a patrol officer in every part of the city. He was assigned to the department’s gang unit, and became a K-9 officer in 2007. He has a distinguished career and has a strong bond with the local veteran community.

From us here at ABC6, we want to congratulate Officer Lawrence and thank him for his service to this country and to our community.