The latest news from the Lowell Police Department includes several changes to the services it offers. Those are as follows:
- LPD will no longer collect unneeded prescription drugs. The department used to turn those over to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. However, due to funding cuts, the DEA is no longer accepting them. You may be able to return medications to the Meijer pharmacy for proper disposal.
- Fingerprinting services are no longer offered at LPD. The department’s system was outdated, and the demand for fingerprinting locally isn’t great enough to justify the cost of upgrading the system, according to police. Fingerprinting is available through the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
- LPD is now only offering pistol permits to residents of the City of Lowell. Previously, it would complete the paperwork for residents outside the city, but the change is being made to more efficiently use staff resources.
Meanwhile, April saw Lowell officers log 188 cases. Those cases included the following:
- 29 suspicious situations
- 27 assists to other agencies
- 20 general and motorist assists
- 12 pistol permits and sales
- 11 traffic accidents
- 9 welfare checks
- 2 stalking/harassment
- 1 extortion
- 1 criminal sexual conduct
- 1 aggravated/felonious assault
Lowell officers also made 141 traffic stops that resulted in six citations in April.
Felonious Assault – Great Bodily Harm Less Than Murder
April saw a felonious assault case between two roommates. The incident started as an argument that “went south real quick,” according to police.
When officers arrived, the victim declined medical care but later went to the hospital. There, it was discovered that they had a broken neck, broken ribs and a broken hip. Family contacted police to let them know the extent of the injuries.
That roommate was charged with “great bodily harm less than murder,” a felony. As of early May, the suspect was in jail on a $250,000 bond.
Sextortion Case in Lowell
LPD had one extortion case in April. It was a sextortion case in which a criminal convinced someone to send sexually explicit photos.
In this type of crime, once the photos have been sent, the criminal threatens to send the images to family and friends if a cash payment isn’t made. Elsewhere, these cases have ended tragically. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case for this complaint in Lowell.
The best way to prevent these types of situations is to not send nude photos electronically to anyone, particularly someone you have never met. However, if you simply can’t help yourself, police advise that keeping your face out of the photo can minimize the chances of sextortion.
OWI in McDonald’s Parking Lot
Police responded to a call from McDonald’s about someone parked in a running vehicle along the side of the building. The vehicle had been there for about 20-30 minutes.
When an officer arrived, they found an intoxicated person in the front seat. They were arrested for operating under the influence.
If a vehicle is on or even if the key is in the ignition, it is legally considered to be under the control of the driver and, therefore, can lead to an OWI charge. However, if someone were sleeping in the passenger seat and the key was not in the ignition, that situation would not be considered criminal, police say.
Two New Officers in Field Training
April also saw two new Lowell officers in field training. Irma Francisco-Vargas and Senad Ajdarevic are not just new to the Lowell Police Department, but they are also relatively recent police academy graduates.
Field training is intended to help them put their policing knowledge into practice by focusing on the ins and outs of traffic stops, interacting with the public and responding to various types of calls. It also familiarizes them with the specific policies and procedures of the Lowell Police Department.
LPD has three field training officers on its staff so all this instruction happens in-house and on-the-job.
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