The Damariscotta Police Department plans to interview candidates for sergeant in the weeks ahead after almost 20 months without a second-in-command to the police chief.
The department will hire a sergeant but will not hire a full-time patrol officer to replace Aaron Beck, who will leave the department to join the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Instead, the department will rely on reserve officers, especially Jacob Grinnell, who already works regular part-time hours, to fill gaps in the schedule.
The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen informally approved the plan Dec. 19 on the recommendation of Town Manager Matt Lutkus.
After the Dec. 19 meeting, Damariscotta Police Chief Chad Andrews said there are already some highly qualified candidates for the sergeant’s job. He said filling the position will be good for the town.
The department has not had a sergeant since April 2011, when then Sgt. Andrews became acting police chief. Andrews was promoted to chief on a permanent basis in September 2011.
The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen voted in March to delay the hiring of a sergeant until after a third-party study of police staffing levels. The study did not take place because the town could not find a firm to conduct the study for the fee the town was willing to pay.
The selectmen and town manager, citing the expense of a police department, placed a town charter amendment before voters that would have authorized them to negotiate with outside agencies for law enforcement.
Damariscotta residents rejected the amendment, 732-546, on Election Day, Nov. 6.
Chief Andrews suggested hiring a sergeant and reducing one full-time patrol officer position to part-time during the public debate leading up to the vote.