Although not from November, the biggest recent news out of the Lowell Police Department is that a new chief has been named.
Current Police Chief Chris Hurst will be retiring in March, and the city sent out the word for applications from candidates to fill the spot. Two finalists – both from the Kent County Sherriff’s Office – were named, and Dennis Albert got the final nod. He is expected to begin in February to get up to speed before Hurst leaves.
But back to November…there were 195 cases logged, including the following:
- 35 assists to other agencies
- 17 pistol permits and sales
- 16 ordinance violations
- 14 general and motorist assists
- 13 suspicious situations
- 12 welfare checks
- 6 traffic accidents
- 5 non-aggravated assaults
- 3 disorderly conduct
- 2 larcenies
- 1 embezzlement
Lowell officers also made 166 traffic stops that resulted in 15 citations.
When Small Business Help Goes Bad
The month’s lone embezzlement case occurred when an individual offered to do some work for a local small business. The owner provided the person with a credit card to pay for necessary supplies, but the card was instead used to rack up $12,000 in unauthorized purchases.
Teen Ambushed in Parking Lot
A juvenile came to the police station to report an attack by another teen. The incident occurred in the parking lot of a local restaurant. Surveillance video caught the incident, and police say the injured teen was ambushed by the other individual. Charges have been issued.
Assault vs. Battery
In the course of reviewing the November cases with Lowell’s First Look, Det. Aubrey Culver cleared up some confusion over the term ‘assault.’ While many people think of assault as physically harming someone, in terms of criminal activity, it actually means the threat of harm. When someone actually lays hands on another person, that is called battery.
Department Updates
LPD officers have been busy updating their skills this fall. Among other things, the department is getting new tasers and training on those.
Officer Ian Shears is now the department’s rifle armorer, and Officer Mike Stephens is becoming a defensive tactics instructor. Meanwhile, Culver is once again the LPD Ironman, an honor bestowed on the member who has the best performance during an annual physical assessment.
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