Lowell Police Department

The Lowell Police Department (LPD) has the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation for a population of about 107,000 in the 14.5-square-mile (38 km²) city of Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell is the fourth-largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is county seat of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. William Taylor is the current superintendent, replacing Kenneth Lavallee after his retirement. The department is a member of the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, which provides specialized units throughout the region.

History

Like other urban American police forces, the Lowell Police Department was founded in the nineteenth century in response to rapid urbanization and industrialization. This brought an influx of immigrants in search of employment, increasing the city's population dramatically.

In the late 1990s, Edward F. Davis implemented innovative "community policing" strategies, which reduced Lowell's crime rate faster than any other American city with over 100,000 residents.^[1] In 2006, he left Lowell to become the commissioner of the Boston Police Department. Kenneth Lavallee succeeded him, continuing the community policing approach and reaching out to community and youth groups.^[2]

In 2013, Deborah Friedl, although appointed temporarily, became the first woman chosen as police superintendent in the department's history.^[3]

Community policing philosophy

The Lowell Police Department serves its community in the following ways:^[4]

• Providing emergency responses to crime
• Working with neighborhoods and businesses to identify and solve problems
• Sponsoring comprehensive recreational and educational programs for youth, including the in-school DARE program, the DARE Summer camp, and other collective efforts with community organizations
• Developing specialized responses to crimes such as domestic violence and gang activity
• Ongoing training of police personnel to best address community needs
• Community-based policing, with neighborhood precinct stations, immersing police into the neighborhoods to most effectively interact with residents
• Specialized foot, bike, and boat patrols to improve visibility of officers
• Use of technology to enhance the delivery of public safety services
• Mobile van command center to address pressing needs throughout the city.

Mission statement

To work with the community to reduce crime, the fear of crime, and improve the quality of life in the city of Lowell.

Training academy

Training Division station

The Lowell Police Department's Training Academy has been in operation since 1996 and have schooled over 350 men and women from 48 cities and towns about the ins and outs of police work. The LPD Academy consists 50 classes over the course of 24 weeks of training (880 hours). It is held in conjunction with the Cambridge and Lawrence Police Department. In 2010, the LPD moved its Training Division from the CrossPoint Towers to the Early Garage downtown. The director of the academy is Captain Timothy Crowley.

Operations

The Lowell Police Department is made up of 175 Police Officers, 30 Sergeants, 13 Lieutenants, 9 Captains, 2 Deputy Superintendent, and a Superintendent (or Chief). Making a total of 230 sworn officers.^[5]

Rank Structure

Superintendent (1)

Deputy Superintendent (2)

Captain (9)

Lieutenant (13)

Sergeant (30)

Police Officer (175)

Geographic responsibility

Through a strategic planning process known as Geographic Responsibility, as well as input from the people of Lowell, it was determined that Crime and Disorder could be most effectively fought with the presence of a constant officer in neighborhoods. This method also seemed to be the most logical thing for supervision and accountability of each officer. There was frustration experienced by both officers and residents regarding the ability of officers to investigate neighborhood crimes. It was determined that officers who have the knowledge of a specific area and a relationship with the residents were to be assigned there, where they could best police the area. With this assignment method it is hoped that officers and residents will become more readily acquainted and will be more helpful to each other. Geographic assignment, the final phase of the Reorganization of the LPD, commenced on 17 January 1999. The city has been divided into three sectors which is each commanded by a Captain who has overall responsibility for the administration, neighborhood problems and concerns, as well as the success of his/her sector.^[6]

Patrol shift times

Platoon 1

• Late Nights (025-825)
• Commanded by: Captain Timothy Crowley

Platoon 2

• Day Shift (825-1625)
• Commanded by: Captain Jonathan Webb

Platoon 3

• Early Nights (1625-025)
• Commanded by: Captain Thomas Meehan

Sectors and precincts

Lower Highlands precinct station

East Sector Commanded by: Lieutenant James Hodgdon

• Back Central
• Downtown
• South Lowell
• Sacred Heart

West Sector Commanded by: Captain James McPadden

• Acre
• Lower Highlands
• Highlands

North Sector Commanded by: Captain Daniel Laroque

• Belvidere
• Centralville
• Pawtucketville ^[7]

K9 Unit

The Lowell Police Department currently has three K9 teams: Sgt. Steven Gendreau and his Bloodhound named Hope, Officer Brian Kinney and his German Shepherd named Bruno, and Officer Todd Donaldson and his German Shepherd named Falco. These K9's perform vital functions for the LPD such as: tracking, searching, and apprehension of criminal suspects, searching for missing persons and children, assisting patrol officers with the detection of various types of illegal drugs or contraband in vehicles, luggage, or packages, assisting other officers in crowd control, responding to assist police departments from area communities when they are in need of a K9, as well as many other functions.

Line of duty deaths

Christos G. Rouses memorial statue in Lowell's JFK Civic Center

Since its inception, the Lowell Police Department has lost four police officers in the line of duty. In 1978, Officer Christos Rouses, was shot and killed while responding to a silent alarm at a local pharmacy. In 1980, there was a memorial depicting an officer with his hand on the right shoulder of a young child placed in his honor directly in front of Department headquarters at JFK Plaza. The memorial, which sits in the center of a fountain has the names of:

• Officer George F. A. Pearsall, killed by gunfire on 24 April 1957
• Officer Christos G. Rouses, killed by gunfire on 17 November 1978
• Officer Patrick F. Leavitt, died after a heart attack on 18 December 1941
• Officer John J. Winn, killed by assault on 3 May 1971^[8]

In popular culture

• The department plays a prominent role in the 2010 film The Fighter, an Academy Award-winning biographical sports drama about Lowell boxer Micky Ward and his brother Dicky Eklund. Shot in and around Lowell, Sergeant Mickey O'Keefe played himself in the film.^[9]
• Multiple episodes of the Fox show Cops follow Lowell police officers while on duty.^[10]
• The LPD is featured heavily in the Ronan Marino private eye series by Lloyd Corricelli

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Police of Lowell, Massachusetts.

• List of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts

References

External links

• Lowell Police Department