Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus has asked Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett to submit a proposal for his office to provide police services in Damariscotta.
The proposal, if met with the approval of the Board of Selectmen and citizens, would result in the elimination of the Damariscotta Police Department.
Lutkus, in a June 12 phone interview, described the request as a “very preliminary step” and said the Board of Selectmen would have to complete a “full review process” and citizens would have to approve an amendment to Damariscotta’s charter in order to effect the change. The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners would also have to approve any contract with the sheriff’s office, he said.
“As a town government, it’s our duty to provide government services at the best possible cost and that’s what we’re doing,” Lutkus said. “We’re looking at options.”
Lutkus also stressed that county management would not result in a reduction in services. The county would “give the town the same level of service it has today,” he said, including 24/7 staffing and downtown foot patrols.
His June 11 email to Brackett also asks the sheriff to include in his proposal an option “whereby there would be 24-hour coverage… except for an off-peak period when two deputies would be available in the town or adjacent communities.”
Lutkus had, at the direction of the selectmen, attempted to find a qualified company or organization to conduct a police staffing study, but a request for proposals did not elicit any response.
He also said the selectmen have asked to be presented with alternatives to the current method of providing police services and specifically asked about a contract with LCSO.
Lutkus said the request to the sheriff was the “best approach at this point” and will give the town “a feel for how efficiently we’re running our department.”
Lutkus said he would, “at a minimum,” ask that the present staff of the police department have “first right of refusal” for LCSO jobs in Damariscotta.
“Certainly, I have nothing against our police department,” Lutkus said. “I think they’re a great group of people and dedicated individuals.”
Lutkus shared his request, along with a brief explanation, with department employees the afternoon of June 12.
“I apologize in advance for the alarm and concern that this may cause employees,” he wrote.
The department currently has six full-time employees – a chief, four patrol officers and an administrative assistant – as well as several reserve officers and seasonal parking enforcement officers.
Lutkus said he has briefed Police Chief Chad Andrews about the request. “My relationship with the chief has been very positive,” Lutkus said.
Andrews will complete a one-year probationary period, a stipulation of his contract, June 30. A second, two-year phase of the contract starts July 1 if the town manager determines he has “successfully completed” the probationary period.
Lutkus said he plans to “proceed with the offering of the regular position as if we weren’t even looking at this proposal.”
He did point out, however, a provision that the chief’s contract “shall terminate on the occurrence of “several events, including the elimination of the Department.”
Andrews said he found out about Lutkus’ request of LCSO in an e-mail and was “shocked and dismayed” upon reading it.
He said he thinks the people of Damariscotta have been “very pleased” with the department under his leadership.
“I think if the townspeople have a choice, I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” he said.
Andrews, in an interview with The Lincoln County News prior to the town’s request to the sheriff’s office, expressed confidence in the department and optimism about his future with the town.
The interview had been scheduled for an article about Andrews’ tenure as chief with the conclusion of his probationary period just a couple of weeks away.
Andrews has completed a Federal Bureau of Investigation Command Institute for Law Enforcement Executives training program and a Maine Criminal Justice Academy training program for new chiefs. He has also completed Maine Municipal Association classes in budgeting, labor law and personnel practice.
He estimates he will deliver at least $45,000 in savings at the end of the fiscal year, largely because a full-time sergeant’s position has been vacant all year and Andrews’ salary is less than his predecessor’s.
Although the management of the department consumes a great deal of his time, he continues to work at least one patrol shift every week, including the occasional all-night shift, in an attempt to limit overtime costs while the department remains short-staffed.
Andrews, during the interview, talked about improvements in community relations, department morale and about successful criminal investigations.
He said he finds it rewarding to watch the development of his officers, as well as his own growth, and after an initial hesitance about the job, he’s sure he wants to stay.
He and the Board of Selectmen and Lutkus have differed about the need to fill the sergeant’s position. Andrews was the department’s sergeant before his promotion.
The sergeant is the department’s second-in-command and is necessary to share certain responsibilities and lead the department when the chief is absent, Andrews said.
Andrews has said he intended to hire a sergeant from within the department and leave a full-time patrol officer’s position vacant if the town, pending the outcome of the staffing study, chose to move away from 24/7 coverage.
A promotion from within would allow him to retain his full-time officers – Richard Alexander, Aaron Beck, Jennifer Mitkus and Jason Warlick – and save the town money.
Last year, during intense debate about the police department budget, no one questioned the necessity of the sergeant’s position, Andrews said. Only after more than a year without a sergeant did it become an issue.
