Danvers Police report promotions, staffing changes, spike in unlocked-vehicle crimes and crypto ATM scams

The Danvers Police Department on June 17 reported multiple internal promotions, a small net staffing increase approved by town bodies, and a recent uptick in unlocked-vehicle entries and vehicle thefts that police say were tied to regional juvenile crews.

Chief of Police gave the quarterly update to the Select Board, saying promotions effective May 4 followed a civil-service process begun last September. Sergeant Derek Colello was promoted to lieutenant and will take charge of the day shift and serve as the department’s CALEA accreditation manager; Detective Michael Moke was promoted to sergeant and will command the Criminal Investigations Division; Officers Michael Lima, Jeff Smith and Ryan Shallow were also promoted to sergeant and assigned to evening, community service and split-shift patrol duties, respectively.

The department said student officer Honan is enrolled at the Northeast Regional Police Academy and is expected to graduate August 15, 2025, then enter an eight-week field-training program. One officer remains on extended leave for a job-related injury; one vacancy exists following retirement, and an additional patrol officer will be added effective July 1 “thanks to the vote by the Select Board finance committee and Town Meeting,” the chief said. The department plans to begin recruitment for up to three officers in coming weeks, aiming to enroll recruits in the October academy class in Haverhill.

Police outlined recent community-engagement work and traffic enforcement. The department has used monthly social-media “snapshots” and launched a 9PM routine campaign — a public reminder originally developed in Florida to encourage residents to lock vehicles and take keys — following a pattern of unlocked-vehicle entries. Between May 16 and May 28, Danvers and neighboring communities reported a cluster of motor-vehicle incidents with “close to 100 unlocked vehicles entered and 16-plus vehicles stolen” over about two weeks, the chief said. In Danvers specifically, officers reported 13 unlocked vehicles entered on May 18; two vehicles were stolen that night and later recovered; a third vehicle was later linked to other incidents in the region.

The chief said arrests in recent months included four juveniles from Lynn who were apprehended in Wakefield after a pursuit and who are believed linked to the regional series. He described an estimated pattern of repeated searches for unlocked cars and, when keys were found, thefts of entire vehicles.

Police also reported crime-analysis and enforcement metrics: from March 14 to June 13 the department conducted 1,112 traffic stops (including 460 selective enforcement stops and 335 officer-initiated stops). Year-to-date totals through June 13 included 113 arrests, 83 summonses and 11,970 calls for service. The chief noted concentration points for calls (e.g., Andover Street/Route 1, Walmart, Costco, Liberty Tree Mall) and presented a heat map of accidents and enforcement activity.

On fraud and scams, detectives reported a rise in cryptocurrency-related frauds where victims are pressured to withdraw cash and deposit it into crypto ATMs. In the past six months the department received six reported crypto-related scams with reported losses totaling about $141,980. Detectives executed search warrants and seized roughly $73,190 at ATM locations, and described a recent case in which investigators recovered almost all of a victim’s $42,000 after blockchain analysis and coordination with the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and state resources; the victim ultimately received a $41,900 check. The chief warned that such recoveries are exceptional and that delays in reporting (12–24 hours) seriously hamper investigations.

The department also discussed contractor scams, an internal accreditation site visit by a CALEA assessor completed June 2 and the department’s compliance with CALEA standards; the agency expects the final report and will appear before the CALEA commission in the fall for a final accreditation vote.

Select Board members asked about youth bike complaints downtown, foot-patrol durations (said to be about 25–45 minutes depending on call volume), the prevalence of motorized dirt bikes (not yet widespread in Danvers), progress on detective staffing and the new tint meters for enforcement (three meters purchased; cited fine amount discussed as $255). Board members thanked the department for the investigative successes and for increased visible patrols in the downtown square.

The department’s presentation covered factual updates on personnel, enforcement activity, crime patterns and ongoing investigations; the chief said the department will provide swearing-in dates for promoted officers and continue recruitment and community outreach work.