Message from the Chief

The GOAL of the Lewistown Police Department is to provide professional police services to the citizens of Lewistown.  The Lewistown Police meets our professional goals by placing a strong emphasis on interactions between the Police Department and the Community.

The MISSION of the Lewistown Police Department is to reduce crime and its effects, provide efficient services and safeguard the general welfare of the Citizens of Lewistown.  Lewistown Police shall maintain a joint partnership with the citizens of the community and are proud to be “Serving our community with pride.”

David K. Clemens

Chief of Police

Lewistown Police Department

LPD ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Calls For Service:  4,952 (2024)  5,922 (2023)  6,554 (2022)   5,675 (2021)   4,897 (2020)    

  • 374 (2024) 154 (2023) 111 (2022) 131 (2021) Criminal Arrests
  • 0 (2024) 1 (2023) 2 (2022) 1 (2021) Homicide Arrests
  • 137 (2024)46 (2023) 31 (2022) 26 (2021) Drug Related Arrests
  • 59 (2024) 27 (2023) 37 (2022) 23 (2021) DUI Arrests
  • 64 (2024) 41 (2023) 23 (2022) 24 (2021) Assault Related Arrests
  • 35 (2024) 11 (2023) 18 Theft/Burglary Arrests
  • 908 (2024) 416 (2023) 422 (2022) 342 (2021) Traffic Citations Issued
  • 251 (2024) 242 (2023) 187 (2022) 199 (2021) Non-traffic Citations Issued
  • 5,610 (2024) 2,039 (2023) 4,744 (2022) 4,574 (2021) Parking Tickets Issued
  • 197 (2024) 137 (2023) 198 (2022) Traffic Crashes Investigated

Awarded two new grants for 2023-2024:   

Local Law Enforcement Support Grant:

  • Received $306,882 in funding for new technology equipment
  • New per capita rugged laptops and related in-car equipment- Issued*
  • License plate readers- Installed and In Service  
  • New updated Records Management System- CODY Pathfinder Transition
  • Funding to continue the Mental Health Co-Responder Program
  • Grant was extended until March 2025 to expend any remaining grant funds

Medical Marijuana Enforcement Act Grant:

  • Received $46,221 in funding for DUI Enforcement Training
  • ARIDE training for nine officers- Three new officers trained in ARIDE- 2024*
  • Training of a new department DREs- Two officers completed DRE training in 2024*
  • Department currently has three certified DREs (Drug Recognition Experts)
  • Grant covered all training, travel, and overtime expenses

Accreditation Grant Awarded for 2024-2025:

  • Awarded $91,695 to be used for accreditation purposes.
  • New evidence lockers and security devices for evidence storage
  • Accreditation software and consulting services
  •  More secure server for storage of digital evidence and body camera footage
  • Accreditation should be completed by August 2025.

Application for K-9 Grant Funding:

  • Grant Application submitted for funding for a K-9 unit.
  • The funding amount requested is $102,435.
  • Funding would cover all start-up costs such as vehicle, acquisition of the canine, training for the canine and officer. 
  • We should receive award notice sometime in the beginning of 2025.

Department Drone:

  • Department drone with thermal imaging.
  • Used for Search and Rescue and Evidence collection.
  • Useful for surveillance in high-risk incidents.
  • Can be used for 3-D mapping of structures. (Schools, Government Buildings, Critical Infrastructure, etc…)

Department Vehicles: 

  • Current fleet consists of four marked patrol vehicles and two unmarked:
  •        2014 Ford Taurus Interceptor 121,856 Miles
  •        2017 Ford Taurus Interceptor (Unmarked) 40,146 Miles
  •        2017 Ford Fusion (Unmarked) 40,842 Miles
  •        2020 Ford Explorer      59,218 Miles
  •        2020 Ford Explorer      37,801 Miles
  •        2022 Ford Explorer      20,027 Miles

Mental Health Co-Responder Program (Grant Funded):

  • Mental Health Co-Responder program has been a great benefit to the department and to the borough residents.   
  • Co-Responder works within the department to assist on calls involving mental health issues as well as many others (domestics, deaths, homeless, public intoxication, elder abuse, etc..).
  • Referrals are made to the co-responder who then follows up with individuals to assure they are directed to the proper resources to address their needs.
  • This program has allowed officers to concentrate more on crime related issues and has been effective in diverting individuals away from the criminal justice system.
  • Current grant funding through May 2025. 
  • Our program was selected to present at the National MH Co-Responder conference in Omaha, NE in June 2024 to present information on the successes we have had.   

Training:

Officers Completed Numerous Training Courses throughout the year:  (Over 874 training hours)

Average of 54 hours per officer (MPOETC requires 12 hours per year) 

Topics Covered:

     Mental Health/First Aid                                                                          Use of Force

     Crisis Intervention                                                                                   Vehicle Pursuit

     First Aid/CPR                                                                                           Criminal Investigations

     Interview and Interrogation                                                                   Drug Interdiction                         

     Homicide                                                                                                Leadership Training

     ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement)             Active Shooter Response

     DRE (Drug Recognition Expert)                                                              Forced Entry (Breaching)

     Policies and Procedures                                                                         Traffic Collision Investigation

     Firearms     Taser

Community Service Events:

National Night Out

  • NNO was a great success. It was held in conjunction with all local departments and PSP.
  • Over 75 local businesses and organizations participated.

Shop with A Cop Event

Fill-A-Cruiser ($166 plus three truckloads of food)

  • Items were donated to the Lumina Center and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

Collected over 225 lbs. of unwanted prescription medications in our drug take back initiative.

Current roster:

  • 7 full-time patrol officers
  • 2 Patrol Corporals
  • 1 Patrol Sergeant
  • 1 Detective (Criminal Investigations)
  • 1 Full-time Department Narcotics Investigator
  • 1 School Resource Officer (40 hours/week- paid by the Mifflin County School District)
  • 1 Executive Officer (2nd in command- assists with administrative tasks as well as evidence, body camera management, accreditation, drone operations, and supervisory tasks) 
  • 1 Chief of Police
  • 1 Administrative Assistant

Civil Service Testing will be conducted in early 2025 to establish a new hiring list.