CONWAY POLICE OFFICER MICHAEL BOUCHER SAYS HIS RETURNING OF A BAG OF DVDs AND BOOKS TO THE CONWAY LIBRARY EARLIER THIS WEEK IS A FAIRLY ROUTINE EVENT.

BOUCHER SAYS OFFICERS ARE OCCASIONALLY GIVEN A LIST OF NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHECKED OUT MATERIALS THAT ARE LONG OVERDUE AND HAVEN’T BEEN RETURNED.

BOUCHER SAYS OFFICERS INFORM THE PERSON WHO CHECKED OUT THE MATERIALS THEY CAN EITHER RETURN THEM BY A CERTAIN DATE OR POLICE WILL GET A WARRANT FOR THEIR ARREST. BOUCHER SAYS THE PROCESS SEEMS TO WORK VERY WELL AND POLICE START SEEING BOOKS “COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK.”

BOUCHER SAYS CORPORAL BRIAN MCGRATH RECOVERED NEARLY TWO DOZEN BOOKS AND DVDs OVER THE WEEKEND THAT HAD BEEN CHECKED OUT LONG AGO BY A SINGLE LIBRARY PATRON AND HADN’T BEEN RETURNED.

BOUCHER SAYS OFFICERS ARE ALWAYS GREETED BY A HAPPY LIBRARY STAFF WHEN THEY WALK IN WITH A SACK FULL OF BOOKS.

ASSISTANT CONWAY LIBRARIAN BETTY PARKER SAYS THE CONWAY POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL FOR MANY YEARS IN GETTING OVERDUE MATERIALS BACK. SHE SAYS ABOUT FIVE CUSTOMERS A MONTH DON’T RETURN WHAT THEY’VE CHECKED OUT – A SMALL AMOUNT CONSIDERING THE LIBRARY CIRCULATES MORE THAN 80-THOUSAND VOLUMES A YEAR.