Lt. Dawn Beauchesne, the Lowell Police Department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer. (Courtesy Lowell Police Department)

LOWELL — Superintendent Greg Hudon and the Lowell Police Department would like to introduce the community to the department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, Lt. Dawn Beauchesne.

Lt. Beauchesne, a 25-year veteran of the department, acts as a specialized point of contact for anyone in the community who is LGBTQ+ and in need of services. She also works to provide resources to the LGBTQ+ community.

Lt. Beauchesne has worked in patrol, as a bicycle officer, and as a detective in both the Family Services Unit and the Criminal Investigation Division. She was promoted to sergeant in 2017, and to lieutenant in 2023.

In preparation for her role as the department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison officer, Lt. Beauchesne attended the LGBT Law Enforcement Liaison Academy, which also included additional courses regarding LGBT Awareness for law enforcement, and a hate crimes investigation course.

“Part of my goal, having received this training, is to further educate my colleagues in the Lowell Police Department about the lessons I learned, and the things we can all be doing to be more aware of LGBTQ+ issues,” said Lt. Beauchesne.

Lt. Beauchesne said she likes to share one of her favorite quotes from Dr. Suess: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that matter don’t mind and those that mind don’t matter.”

“We need to be better and erase hate,” Lt. Beauchesne said the quote reminds her.

“The Lowell Police Department is committed to serving all residents in the city, and our LGBTQ+ Liaison officer is working with the LGBTQ+ community to ensure that all of our residents are supported by police and that hate crimes are reported and investigated,” said Superintendent Hudon.

As part of her role, Lt. Beauchesne will be spearheading the department’s efforts to set up the Lowell Police Department Safe Place Initiative, which invites business owners to sign up to be a safe place for LGBTQ+ individuals who are in need. The Lowell Police Department is the 355th law enforcement agency in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe to enact the Safe Place Initiative, which was first introduced by the Seattle Police Department.

Via the initiative, businesses will be able to sign up to receive a decal for the front of their business identifying it as a safe place for LGBTQ+ individuals to go to if they are the victim of harassment or a hate crime.

“This location is a safe place for victims of hate crimes and harassment to call 911 and wait for police to arrive,” the stickers will state.

To contact the department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison or to ask questions about the Lowell Police Department Safe Place Initiative, please send an email to lpdlgbtq@lowellma.gov.

To sign up for the Safe Place Initiative, visit: https://lowellpolice.org/safe-place-application/.