News

Ludlow Police Department Commemorates National Police Week

May 14, 2025 by Kayla Rochon

National Police Week, which occurs this year between May 11 and 17, honors law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the line of duty. It is a time to recognize and pay homage to the sacrifices made to keep communities safe and an opportunity to support the colleagues and families of officers who have given their lives.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported that since the first recorded police death in 1786, there have been over 24,000 police officers killed in the line of duty. With over 800,000 law enforcement officers currently serving in the United States, there are plenty of people to thank for protecting our communities. During this week, please extend your appreciation to local police officers by thanking them for their duty, or show gratitude to those who lost their lives in service by attending a local memorial service.

Ludlow Police Share Information Regarding Road Closures in Center Street Area

May 7, 2025 by Payton Hebert

LUDLOW — The Ludlow Police Department reports that a section of Center Street will be closed from Wednesday, May 7, until Friday, May 9, due to construction in the area.

Center Street will be closed from Booth Street to the Lyons/Miller Street intersection.

Police are asking that drivers seek alternate routes during this time.

Further updates will be communicated on the Ludlow Police Facebook page, which can be accessed here.

The Department would like to thank the community for their patience and cooperation during this time.

Ludlow Police Arrest and Charge Man with Numerous Motor Vehicle Offenses After Pursuit and Crash

May 2, 2025 by Kayla Rochon

LUDLOW — Chief Daniel Valadas reports that the Ludlow Police Department arrested and charged a Springfield man with numerous motor vehicle offenses following a vehicle pursuit and crash.

JOVANNI COLON RODIRGUEZ, AGE 22, OF SPRINGFIELD, was arrested and charged with:

Failure to Stop for Police
Uninsured Motor Vehicle
Operating with a Suspended License
Negligent Operation of Motor Vehicle
Resisting Arrest
Unregistered Motor Vehicle
Operating a Vehicle with Suspended Registration
Operating without an Inspection Sticker
Failure to Stop or Yield
Speeding
Possession of Marijuana Outside of a Residence

On Tuesday, April 29, at approximately 8:54 p.m., a Ludlow Police officer who was on patrol in the area of West Street saw a vehicle traveling approximately 50 mph in a 30 mph zone, nearly striking another vehicle.

The officer learned that the vehicle’s registration had been revoked and that the driver, later identified as COLON RODRIGUEZ, had an outstanding warrant, and the officer attempted to make a stop.

COLON RODRIGUEZ failed to stop, fleeing over the town line into Springfield. An officer broke off pursuit for safety reasons, but eventually came across the vehicle, which had crashed at Pasco Road and Boston Road in Springfield.

COLON RODRIGUEZ attempted to flee the scene but was caught and arrested after a brief struggle.

COLON RODRIGUEZ was booked at the Ludlow Police Station and released on personal recognizance bail. He will be arraigned at a later date in Palmer District Court.

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Ludlow Police Department to Hold Drug Take Back Day

April 24, 2025 by Kayla Rochon

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 26, and Ludlow Police will be hosting a drug take-back event for residents and community members.

The event will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the police station, 612 Chapin St. Ludlow Police will collect unwanted or unused prescription medications. Liquids or needles will not be accepted.

National Drug Take Back Day encourages the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.

Ludlow Police Honor Retiring Detective Lieutenant David Kornacki

March 31, 2025 by Payton Hebert

From left: Det. SRO Nate Goodrow, Det. Pete Gallagher, Det. Sergeant Steve Ricardi, Det. Lt. Dave Kornacki, Chief Dan Valadas, and Lt. Dave Irwin at the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association winter awards meeting, where Det. Lt. Kornacki was named the Richard Werenski Officer of the Year. (Photo Courtesy Ludlow Police Department).

LUDLOW — Chief Daniel Valadas reports that Det. Lt. David Kornacki, recently named the Richard Werenski Police Officer of the Year by the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, will be retiring in July after 31 years of service in Ludlow.

Det. Lt. Kornacki joined the Department in 1994 as a Patrol Officer. In 1997, he was promoted to the Detective Bureau.

Since 2024, Det. Lt. Kornacki has served as a Lieutenant and currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the Ludlow Police Department Detective Bureau, leading six detectives in the oversight of the Investigations Divison and the Department’s School Resource Officer and CIT program.

Throughout his 30-year career, Det. Lt. Kornacki embraced every opportunity to expand his knowledge and skill set for the Department’s and community’s greater benefit. His accomplishments include: D.A.R.E officer, certified sexual assault investigator, trained School Resource Officer, certified background investigator, certified hostage negotiator, financial crimes investigator, FEMA Incident Command System trained (up to the advanced level), trained Top Gun Undercover Narcotics Officer and certified ALICE instructor.

In 2017, Det. Lt. Kornacki received the ASIS Outstanding Achievement Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to policing.

In 2023, he received the Center for Human Development (CHD) Ascent Award, celebrating his significant achievement in bolstering CHD’s efforts to provide a broad range of high-quality, community-oriented human services dedicated to promoting, enhancing and protecting the dignity and welfare of people in need.

Last year, Det. Lt. Kornacki was one of six Department members to complete the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Course, which teaches comprehensive leadership skills. His achievement helped Ludlow Police earn the prestigious FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award.

In January, Det. Lt. Kornacki’s years of dedicated service earned him the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association’s Richard Werenski Police Officer of the Year Award.

The award recognizes an officer in Western Massachusetts who has demonstrated the highest standards of professional conduct, and diligence to duty, loyalty, honesty, and integrity as a police officer within their department. The recipient should accomplish tasks in the best interests of the department and the community, have the initiative to solve problems and address situations before they become problems, and be a model of the law enforcement code of ethics.

“We are very happy for Det. Lt. Kornacki; he deserves his solace and our gratitude for his 31 years of honorable police service to the Town of Ludlow,” said Chief Valadas. “We are also saddened that the police department is losing one of the best police officers that the department has ever employed and that I have ever known. His abilities and knowledge are unmatched, and we will greatly miss him.”

Det. Lt. Kornacki will retire on July 11.

In a letter to the Chief announcing his retirement, Det. Lt. Kornacki said, “I have found this experience to be beyond everything I had hoped it would be, and yet nothing like I had expected. My role has given me the chance to celebrate with our community when we have experienced our best and allowed me the opportunity to help and support my neighbors when we have endured our worst.”