Local Police Comment on Lawrence Crime Surge [POLL]

Amid a surge in violence seen in neighboring Lawrence, the Andover Police Department is well aware of the impacts of the surge but say that it is not requiring extra precautions as this point.

Police Lt. James Hashem said that they have assisted Lawrence with some of the violent incidents in the past few months but said they will be protecting the town with the same patrols and enforcement as they do from day to day.

“We’ve been fortunate that a lot of their [criminal] activity in the night happens in the north part of town,” said Hashem.

He said that when the Andover Police do assist Lawrence it falls under a mutual aid agreement and is no different then when they help out with incidents in North Reading or Tewksbury.

Inferno

In September, Jose L. Tejeda, 30, was charged with murdering his girlfriend Milka Rivera, 39, and her two teenage children, Sachary and Maxeriel Montanez. This was just one of several violent crimes reported in the city in recent months, and the city has also seen a huge spike in violence at bars and night clubs.

The violence this year in Lawrence seems to follow a trend. In 2010, Lawrence had an increase in violent crimes from the year before -- with 631 violent crimes reported, 10 of which were murder. By comparison, Andover only reported 15 violent crimes in 2010.

And the Andover Police log shows that a notable amount of local property crimes -- shoplifting, car break-ins, burglaries, etc. -- result in arrests of Lawrence residents.

Ancillary Crimes

While he recognizes the increase in violent crimes in neighboring Lawrence, Hashem said that he doesn’t feel that violent crimes will increase in Andover.  

“We don’t have that direct relationship,” said Hashem.

However, he did say that ancillary crimes, such as car break-ins, house burglaries and shoplifting, will increase as a result of increased criminal activity in Lawrence.

“We see a spill over,” said Hashem.

In Andover, Hashem said they are starting to see a new trend in the theft of town property such as drain covers, manhole covers and catch basins. He said that drug users will steal the metal to scrap for money to get their next fix.

He said this also tells police that there are metal scrappers are becoming part of the problem and any scrupulous metal scrappers would know that a manhole cover brought in to scrap would most likely be stolen.