With the Fourth of July, Riverwalk Festival and other special events, the Lowell Police Department was a bit busier last month than it was in June. Here’s a closer look at how Lowell’s finest spent their time in July.
The Stats and Nothing but the Stats
Let’s start by looking at the crime and arrest numbers for July. In June, no one – not one person – was arrested for drunk driving, but we couldn’t quite repeat the feat for July. How about we try again for a clean record in August? What do you say, Lowell?
Here are all the arrests made in the city last month:
July Arrests:
- Minor in possession of alcohol: 1
- Drug violations: 2
- Drunk driving : 5
- Driving with a suspended license: 3
- Warrant arrests: 10
- Other arrest: 7
And here are all the other crime stats, investigations and activity for the month of July:
- Assaults: 0
- Domestic assault: 3
- Breaking and entering: 0
- Larceny: 12
- Malicious destruction of property: 3
- Disorderly person: 3
- Ordinance violation: 15
- Assist other agency: 31
- Assist from other agency: 3
- Assist to citizen: 49
- Animal complaints: 4
- Assist motorist: 5
Property damage accidents: 10
Injury accidents: 2
Traffic Stops: 104
Citations: 28
Police Make Felony Arrest for Handgun
While it’s nice to think the only criminal activity happening in Lowell falls into the misdemeanor category, the Lowell Police Department did make felony arrests in July. One of those was for violations related to a handgun.
The department got word a person was in possession of a handgun and had threatened another person with it. As part of their initial investigation, the police discovered the person in question did not have a gun registered, did not have a concealed pistol license and was, in fact, prohibited from owning a gun because of prior criminal history.
When officers spotted the person driving a car on Bowes Road, they pulled over the vehicle and found a handgun in the glove compartment. The person was arrested and has been charged with three crimes: felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and driving on a suspended driver’s license. The person also had five outstanding warrants.
Investigation into Stolen Credit Card Numbers
Sometimes, one incident can lead to an investigation into something bigger. That was the case of an accident at Dollar General last month. While investigating that event, the Lowell Police Department was tipped off to a suspicious person in the store who was using gift cards to make purchases.
The department has investigated similarly suspicious behavior in the past and learned criminals have discovered how to reprogram gift cards with stolen credit card numbers. Officers made contact with the individual in question and found he had four gift cards programmed with stolen numbers. He was arrested for a felony.
However, that didn’t conclude the investigation. A search warrant was obtained for the person’s home in Ionia County, and with the assistance of the Ionia County Sheriff Department, the Lowell Police Department searched the property. They found several hundred gift cards, a large sum of cash, a device for reprogramming card and notebooks containing instructions for the process. Additional charges are now pending in the case.
Suicides and Overdoses Raise Concern
While Sgt. Christopher Hurst hasn’t compared the numbers to last year, he told Lowell’s First Look he’s concerned about the number of suicide threats in the city. So far, the Lowell Police Department has responded to 19 threats of suicide, and the year is only half done. Many of these seem to be related to substance abuse although there could be deeper issues at play.
You may have heard news of an opioid epidemic sweeping the nation, and Lowell police officers are seeing hints of it right here in our small town. This year, officers have responded to at least three overdoses. In two cases, officers were able to save the people by administering the medication Narcan. In the third case, the person was already dead when officers arrived.
As if the use illegal opioids weren’t bad enough, some people have begun lacing heroin (an illegal opioid) with Fentanyl, a legal yet potent opioid painkiller. Fentanyl is usually administered as a patch for people with serious conditions, such as cancer, and whose pain cannot be otherwise controlled. Anyone who has received a prescription for fentanyl undoubtedly knows its dangers. Indeed, parents are cautioned not to throw used patches in the trash where young children could have access to them since even those could contain a dose of medicine lethal to a toddler.
However, now we have heroin mixed with fentanyl on the streets, and it poses not only a threat to users but to our police officers as well. To keep officers safe, the Lowell Police Department requires its members to use gloves, filter masks and eye protection if heroin is suspected in a vehicle. “There are reports of officers suddenly becoming ill from just casual exposure,” Sgt. Hurst says.
Special Events Go Off Without a Hitch
The Riverwalk Festival was a rousing success from the police department’s point of view. “Everyone seemed to have a good time, and our officers enjoy doing this sort of detail,” Sgt. Hurst notes. Even, the traffic after the fireworks went smoothly.
You may have also noticed a special event on the fairgrounds on a Saturday in mid-July. It was the Neon Zonkey Foam party where 200-250 kids showed up for an afternoon of fun. The Lowell Police Department provided the security detail for the event which went well with the exception of some adults who decided to start drinking before showing up for the non-alcoholic event. They were escorted off the property.
This week the Lowell Police Department will be down at the fairgrounds for the Kent Country 4-H Fair. If you see an officer, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate all they do to keep us safe!
Previously on the Police Beat
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
Leave a Reply