LEWISTON — Police were out in full force Monday evening, pounding downtown streets in search of drugs, guns, prostitution and other forms of vice.

Generally, the department has less than 10 officers on duty in the evening. On Monday, there were about 30 law enforcement officers, including state and federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents, Lewiston police Chief Michael J. Bussiere said Monday afternoon, while patrolling at the corner of Walnut and Pierce streets.

“If these guys are going to change their hours around” for the special beat, the chief said, “I’m going to too.”

The point of the exercise was to address some of city’s “criminal hot spots,” Bussiere said. The police tend to respond to complaints from “certain addresses, certain streets, certain locations,” he said. Following a yearly trend, the police have been responding to more complaints recently as warmer weather arrives. There have been more people outside, creating opportunities for more incidents to flare up, including three confirmed gunshot incidents and rumors of several others in the last few weeks. No one was injured in any of those incidents, but the police want to make sure that there aren’t injuries in the future.

“We’re trying to find out why we’ve been getting some of the kinds of calls we’ve been getting, and put a stop to them,” Bussiere said. “We want to be out here before something really bad happens.”

During the first hour of the special detail, Bussiere and several detectives camped out on Walnut Street, talking to community members and customers as they entered Poirier’s Market, offering more handshakes, jokes, and smiles than intimidation. Many of the officers patrolled the downtown area on foot, while several others cycled through the area.

Over the course of the night their tactics shifted from friendly cooperation to offense, yielding several summonses and arrests, Sgt. Danny LaChance said. “They’re out there moving people along, making their presence known, making arrests,” he said.

LaChance did not know exactly how many arrests were made during the detail or what the charges were Monday — the patrols lasted until 10 p.m. — but at least one arrest was made on a warrant.

The department will hold similar details throughout the summer, LaChance said, in an effort to keep ahead of crime.

“What people really want is safe streets, safe neighborhoods, and safe schools,” Bussiere said.