By Alberto Suris
Awarded Officer of the Month Officer Commended on Stolen Vehicle Arrests.
This month, Lawrence Police Officer Angel Lopez was recognized by the Office of Mayor Daniel Rivera and the Lawrence Police Department as Officer of the Month as a result of his exemplary job performance in his duties related to stolen vehicles.
“I am proud of the work that Officer Lopez has done and will continue to do for our Police Department,” said Mayor Daniel Rivera. “Officer Lopez has made an example of the hard work our officers do on a daily basis to keep our community safe, and I am thankful to have his professionalism and expertise on our force.”
Officer Lopez was awarded Officer of the Month for his role in apprehending suspects related to stolen cars in the month of July. The commendation report, written by Sergeant Michael Mangan, states, “Officer Lopez has been able to exercise a proficiency in his duties in relation to stolen motor vehicles that is unmatched by any single Officer in the Department. Officer Lopez possesses an innate understanding of the conditions surrounding stolen motor vehicles in the way they are operated, the manner in which they are concealed and the type of vehicles that are being commonly stolen.
This ability to excel, despite arduous workloads encumbered by the inherent nature of being in the patrol division, serves as a model for his fellow officers to emulate. Officer Lopez has located at least two occupied actively stolen motor vehicles both in the month of June and July. Two of those situations resulted in the recovering of illegal firearms as well as recovering the stolen vehicles. The professionalism with which Officer Lopez performed his duties is a testament to the caliber and character of the officers of the rank and file of the department. Officer Lopez’s actions can only reflect in the utmost positive manner of the Lawrence Police Department.”
This is the first Officer of the Month Award given by the Lawrence Police Department. “Officer Lopez is an intelligent, hard working member of our police force,” said Police Chief James Fitzpatrick. “He is out there every day ready to work and prepared to keep our community safe. We cannot think of a more appropriate recipient.”
Angel was born in the City of Pontiac, Michigan in1979, where his parents relocated after leaving their native city of Guayama, Puerto Rico. In 1983 the family moved to Lawrence where they still live.
Around 1992, while attending Leonard School, he became one of the stars at weekly newscasts that Dalia Diaz used to videotape for Lawrence Public Schools television during Superintendent James F. Scully’s leadership that many students including Angel still remember. He continued his studies at Greater Lawrence Technical School graduating with honors. His first job was with the City of Lawrence where he worked for 6 years. In 2003, he joined the U.S. Army, serving in Kuwait until 2005.
Since a very young age, he always wanted to be a police officer so back from the war, he took the Civil Service test, entered Northern Essex Community College where he earned an Associate degree in Computer Science and later a Bachelor in Criminal Justice from UMass Lowell. He has been with the Lawrence Police Department for 10 years.
Officer Angel Lopez is 36 years old, married to Marisol Lopez and has three sons, 16, 15 and 10. They live in Lawrence. “I have always lived in Lawrence”, he said proudly.
The Commendation Committee who chose Officer Lopez as the Officer of the Month consists of the following members of the Police Department: Lt. Michael McCarthy (Chair), Sgt. Maurice Aguiler, Sgt. Joseph Beaulieu, Sgt. Melix Bonilla, Sgt. Joseph Cerullo, Sgt. John Dushame and Sgt. Michael Simard.
“It was an easy decision”, commented Detective Thomas M. Cuddy, Special Assistant to the Chief, Lawrence Police Department.
