Cedar City Police Introduces New Public Information Officer, Discusses Community Engagement

Cedar City Police Chief Darin Adams recently introduced Sergeant Kirk Lovell as the department’s new Public Information Officer (PIO). Lovell, who replaces Sergeant Justin Ludlow in the role, will serve as the department’s liaison with the media and the public.

"Most notably, he is our Public Information Officer, who will be communicating with the media and be the new face of our department," Adams said on the radio.

Lovell expressed enthusiasm for his new responsibilities, emphasizing the importance of positive community engagement. "With policing, we don't get to have the positive interactions that we would like to have, and that's kind of what my role is—to go out and put a good face on and talk with people about their concerns," he said.

Lovell hopes to enhance relationships between officers and the community by increasing police presence at local events and in public spaces. "We've been really shorthanded for the last—it's been several years, actually. I’d like to be able to have officers go and actually be a part of community policing," he explained.

Beyond media relations, Lovell’s role includes coordinating with other law enforcement agencies and overseeing community outreach programs. "We shepherd information back and forth between agencies… We want to make sure that our concerns are their concerns," he said. Adams added that Lovell also supervises school resource officers and volunteers involved in public events such as Shop With a Cop.

In addition to introducing Lovell, Chief Adams discussed the department's recent deployment of automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras throughout Cedar City. "We are deploying automated license plate reader cameras throughout Cedar City… The whole design of these is to help the force multiply," Adams explained. He assured the public that the system is limited to scanning license plates and cross-referencing them with a law enforcement database. "It’s not designed to surveil. It is simply a camera," he said.

Addressing local concerns about traffic enforcement, Adams acknowledged staffing shortages that have impacted proactive policing. However, he noted that the department has recently filled its traffic officer position. "Officer Perez will start officially on April 22nd full time, and that's really what we need—more targeted enforcement consistently," Adams stated.

Lovell concluded by reflecting on the balance between maintaining public safety and ensuring the community does not live in fear. "It’s a great community. It’s a safe community, but you have to be cautious and you have to be aware that there are things… We have every crime that is in each city here in Cedar City, just not at the same level," he said.

Both Adams and Lovell reiterated their commitment to fostering stronger ties between the department and the Cedar City community.

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You can hear our discussion with Chief Adams and Sargent Lovell in the podcast below.