Heroes of Boston Marathon bombing recognized in DC

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Three heroes of the Boston Marathon bombing spoke at the National Law Enforcement Museum as they were recognized in Washington, D.C. Tuesday.

Former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, retired Watertown Police Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, and former FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers attended the event titled ‘Patriots Day: Cinematic Reflections on a Post-9/11 World.’

“People lost their lives, people were injured and have to live with those injuries for the rest of their lives,” said Davis. “It was a terrible terrible tragedy. But, some good came out of it. And, the good was about the way the community responded, the way that people pulled together, the way the police and the law enforcement community at the federal, state, and local level all worked together to pursue these guys. The way the community came out to help us catch them. But also, to support the victims.”

The Boston Marathon bombing is featured in an exhibit called ‘Post 9/11- The Evolution of American Law Enforcement.’ The exhibit details the lessons learned in the fight against terror. It displays items from the marathon tragedy including the handcuffs that restrained one of the Boston Marathon bombers.

“It just became a big team and a brotherhood to get these bad people off the street,” said Pugliese of the multiple law enforcement agencies that assisted in the manhunt.

Pugliese was one of the police officers involved in a shootout with the then-suspects in the days after the Boston Marathon Bombings.

He advised police officers and other first responders to take their training seriously so they can rely on that training during critical incidents.

“If you don’t train like it’s real, you’re not going to act the right way in this critical situation,” he said.

DesLauriers highlighted how well law enforcement agencies worked together during the Boston Marathon Bombings. He noted, that collaboration was key in the case. He credits that teamwork with allowing law enforcement to quickly close in on the perpetrators.

“I think the investigation the week of the Boston Marathon Bombings showed what law enforcement can do under immense pressure,” he said as he called the investigation ‘complex.’

At the event, the men took questions from the audience about the marathon attack and the movie ‘Patriot’s Day.’ That movie is based on the Boston bombing.

The heroes called the Boston Marathon bombings one of the most traumatic events and intense manhunts in US history.

The Boston Marathon Bombings occurred on April 15, 2013. Three bystanders were killed and more than 250 others were hospitalized.

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