Officer Dean Lawrence grand marshal of Veterans Day parade

The City of New Bedford and the New Bedford Police Department are proud to announce that New Bedford Police Officer Dean Lawrence will serve as the grand marshal and keynote speaker of the 2016 Veterans Day parade.
Officer Lawrence served 21 years in the U.S. Army, including active duty and reserves.

He served in Operation Desert Shield in 1990-1991; a peace-keeping mission in Bosnia in 2000-2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-2004. Officer Lawrence attained the rank of Sergeant 1st Class.

Officer Lawrence served alongside former New Bedford police officer Joseph Camara, who was killed in Iraq on Sept. 1, 2003 when his vehicle exploded.

Officer Lawrence will mark his 20th year as a New Bedford police officer Nov. 17. During his 20 years on the force, he has served as a police dispatcher and on the community policing team. Since 2007, he has served as a canine officer assigned to the port security team for the New Bedford Police Department.

Congratulations Officer Lawrence on this well-deserved honor!