Not many teenagers spent their summers writing parking tickets, but for Trever Jones and Isaac Charbonneau, it was just part of their job.
Jones, 16, of Newcastle, and Charbonneau, 17, of Wiscasset, joined the Damariscotta Police Department as parking enforcement officers in downtown Damariscotta. Police Chief Ron Young said he knew both of the boys through community activities.
“What drew me to Isaac was his work ethic and seeing how hard he works on the (football) field,” Young said. “Trever is a volunteer firefighter and I’ve worked with him in wrestling. They’re both very involved and great kids.”
Jones and Charbonneau started work after Memorial Day. Each morning before 8 a.m., the parking enforcement officer on duty stops at the police department to collect his tickets and chalk for the day.
Charbonneau said the first walk around starts around 8:15 a.m., and he does rounds every hour and fifteen minutes. After afternoon rounds, the parking enforcement officer returns to the police department to log tickets and record payments.
Occasionally someone calls the office to complain or contest a ticket. Young said he mostly leaves that decision to Jones or Charbonneau.
“They have the discretion to void or let their tickets stand,” Young said. “If the person isn’t happy, they can sit down and talk to me, but I talk to Isaac or Trever to get their side of the story.”
Charbonneau, who describes himself as “not really a people person,” said the job helped him develop people skills and get to know the people living in town. When he’s not doing his rounds, Charbonneau likes to stop in at Waltz Soda Fountain and chat with members of the community.
The job has also allowed for both Jones and Charbonneau to learn how to deal with conflict management. Charbonneau had a man curse at him, rip up the ticket, and hand the pieces back. Young said the man was later summonsed for criminal mischief.
On his second day, Jones said a woman he issued a ticket to stopped her vehicle in the middle of downtown just to yell at him, effectively blocking traffic.
“You can’t be a person who gets angry when you’re being yelled at,” Jones said.
Young said Jones and Charbonneau have served as ambassadors for the department in the downtown area.
“They’re not just out there writing tickets, they’re giving directions, making recommendations, anything people need,” said Young.
“They’re good representatives of the police department and the town.”
In fact, both Charbonneau and Jones claim one of their least favorite parts of the job is writing tickets.
“I don’t want to ruin people’s day by writing them a ticket, but it’s my job,” Jones said.
Both Jones and Charbonneau said they are unsure if they will continue a career in law enforcement, however, working as parking enforcement officers has given them a new appreciation for the police department.
“I’ve learned a lot about law enforcement just by being at the police department,” Charbonneau said. “They’re not looking to punish people for things. They really just want to help people.”