Keeping Lowell Safe: Police Beat for March 2020

March started like any other month. Then, schools shut down on March 13, restaurants closed their dining rooms on March 16 and the entire state was told to stay home on March 23. For the Lowell Police Department, that meant a slight drop in cases for March 2020, but officers still had plenty of work to keep them busy.

Lowell Police handled 142 calls in March, down from 165 calls in February. Those included the following among others:

  • 18 calls for assistance to other agencies
  • 15 calls for assistance to citizens
  • 10 total arrests
  • 6 ordinance violations
  • 5 car accidents
  • 1 drunk driving case

Plus, the department made 62 traffic stops and issued 15 citations as a result.

In order to protect the safety of both the public and officers, service calls are being handled over the phone as much as possible. When officers need to make contact with an individual, they are wearing personal protective equipment, and cruisers are disinfected after transports to the jail. Whenever an arrest can be completed with a court summons, rather than lodging someone at the jail, a summons is issued.

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Police Chief Steve Bukala also provided details on three notable March cases.

Felony Arrest

Officers were asked to be on the lookout for a subject wanted for a 3-count felony warrant. The person was known to the Lowell Police Department and observed traveling through the city. Officers stopped the vehicle and were able to quickly take the suspect into custody.

Drunk Driver Looking for Fight

Lowell Police were alerted to a possible drunk driver who was coming into the city and apparently en route to the Key Vista Community. Witnesses said the person was apparently heading into the park office with the intention of confronting someone. Officers arrived and observed the person’s erratic behavior. A field sobriety test showed the person was intoxicated, and they were arrested for operating while intoxicated. This was the person’s third arrest for drunk driving, making it a felony offense.

False Report of a Felony

Officers were called to a report of domestic violence between a male and a female. The man alleged the woman injured him by striking him over the head with a marijuana smoking bong. However, there were some inconsistencies in his story. Eventually, the man confessed to having made up the story in order to get the woman in trouble. He had, in fact, smashed the bong over his own head. A warrant was arrested for him for the false report of a felony.

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