While the Lowell Police Department recently assisted with a high-speed pursuit – more on that in the September Police Beat – August was a calm month for the department. With the exception of a few traffic accidents, there weren’t many serious incidents to report last month.
In total, the Lowell Police Department had 276 reports filed for August 2022, including the following:
- 37 assists to other agencies
- 32 suspicious situations
- 15 general and motorist assists
- 15 traffic accidents
- 10 ordinance violations
- 3 disorderly conduct
- 2 larcenies
- 2 malicious destruction of property
- 2 reports of open windows/doors
- 2 animal issues
- 1 obstructing police
Lowell officers also made 69 traffic stops that resulted in 16 citations.
August Cases
According to police, their most notable case from August was probably a car accident that happened on W. Main Street in the vicinity of the Lowell City Mall.
A large truck was traveling along Main Street when a pick-up coming from the other direction crossed the center lane and ran into the side of the truck. The door to the pick-up was torn off, and the vehicle continued off the road and hit a fire hydrant.
A family, including a baby, was inside the pick-up truck, and Police Chief Chris Hurst says it was fortunate that the two trucks did not collide head-on. As it were, the driver of the pick-up only sustained minor injuries to his hand and no one else was injured.
Hurst said the driver had a license issued by another country, and there was no obvious impairment or reason for the driver to cross the lanes. The driver was cited by the police.
In another traffic accident, a young driver tried to turn left at Monroe Street and was struck by another vehicle. No one was injured, but it did cause delays on Main Street for commuters.
In both cases, a vehicle dash cam captured the accidents and were reviewed by police.
More Traffic Patrols Coming
Hurst says the department has received an increasing number of complaints about speeding on Lowell roads, particularly Main Street, Bowes Road and Hudson Street. Residents have also voiced concerns about truck traffic on Monroe.
Officers have been directed to step up their traffic patrols, and Hurst anticipates that the number of stops made by the Lowell Police Department each month could triple.
Upcoming Department Training
Lowell police officers will be participating in several training programs over the next few months.
- September: Firearms training as required by the state.
- October: Active shooter training which the department tries to do at least biannually. The biggest challenge right now is finding a suitable building to hold the training.
- November or December: Training for Bola Wraps, a new restraint system acquired by the department.
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