One of the parts of learning the job during my first few days at The Sun involved police reporting vet Rob Mills driving me all over Lowell. Rob, who I was chosen to replace, seemed to know where every murder victim had fallen and where every bullet had become embedded across this colorful city.
During my first few weeks on the job — covering people jumping off bridges, fires, stabbings, a couple random shootings into the siding of houses, etc.– I have repeatedly been told by police and fire personnel, “You have big shoes to fill.” I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve been told that a minimum of five times. The tour explains that sentiment. Rob was perfect for the police beat. The hope is that I can get my feet to fit to some degree.
Lowell police officer looks for a slug in the siding of a house in Centralville section.
(By the way, I sprinkled in a few photos I’ve snapped since I’ve started working here in Lowell)
My position at The Sun is the fifth position I’ve held in the world of journalism since my 2007 graduation from the State University of New York at Oswego, located along the eastern tip of Lake Ontario.
Shortly after graduation, I moved to Oswego’s daily newspaper, The Palladium-Times. I was intrigued early on by coverage of police and court-related stories. And, it wasn’t because of TV shows like “Murder She Wrote” that contributed to that interest, though Angela Lansbury has an engaging charm.
Lowell firefighters do battle with a blaze on Central Street on June 5.
The interest grew most notably after working on a case involving 27-year-old Alan Jones, eventually convicted by a jury of murdering his 11-year-old stepsister Erin Maxwell in their home in the tiny town of Palermo, N.Y. He received 25 years to life for strangling Erin with a rope in August 2008.
The state appeals court eventually reversed Jones’ conviction, reducing his murder charge to second-degree manslaughter. But that’s another story.
The troubling nature of that case and its impact on the community fascinated me. Crime reporting is a means of opening eyes to what could happen and as a way to help prevent varieties of misfortune from happening again.
It’s also never boring.
Lowell police officers deal with some alleged unruly participants of the Pub Crawl.
I eventually became a crime, court and public safety reporter at The Daily Messenger, a daily newspaper based in the Finger Lakes region of NY. I headed out this way in late April for The Sun — a larger larger paper in a larger city that was looking for someone to fill their nighttime police beat position. That’s exactly what I had in mind.
During my phone interview for the position, I asked my future bosses if there is much crime breaking out in Lowell. It was a question met with a sarcastic chuckle.
I had never crossed the New York border into Massachusetts until I took this job. So far, it seems like the right choice. The plan is to stick around for awhile and hopefully I don’t let Rob Mills’ fans, as well as Rob Mills himself.
First responders secure the scene of a fatal pedestrian accident on Bridge Street in downtown Lowell on June 1.
Lowellians, and those of surrounding communities, feel free to reach out to me when you see or hear anything of note going on in the area. I have already met several people who have been a tremendous help. I hope those relationships continue to develop.
Follow me on Twitter @aselahcurtis. My office number is 978-970-4659. My schedule runs from 3:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturdays to Wednesdays.
I’ll see you on the street.
-Aaron
