Wiscasset selectmen said it is up to town voters whether or not to keep the town’s police department. At the request of the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen, Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett presented a report regarding the possible options for police coverage during the regular board meeting Tuesday night. The sheriff’s presentation came in response to questions asked by board members all leading to one basic question: Whether or not to eliminate the Wiscasset Police Dept.
In other business at the Dec. 1 meeting, Wiscasset residents heard a presentation on the General Assistance Ordinance dollar amount maximums, which selectmen approved. A resident also made a comment regarding the Edward Jones Trust Company and its decision to withdraw from the management of town assets.
“As the sheriff, given the information that I’ve looked at, I could not and would not recommend you consider doing away with police services altogether,” Brackett said, after mentioning he spent considerable time reviewing police data on the town and county level, as well as the uniform crime reporting statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He said the total number of calls requiring law enforcement in Wiscasset averaged roughly 4600 calls per year; the seriousness of which ran the spectrum, from the “proverbial cat in a tree” to serious crimes.
“The calls certainly dictate that you have a need,” he said.
The sheriff’s office responded to just over 900 calls for service so far this year, Brackett said, adding that he thought it was a high number compared to other departments. He said he thought it was a reflection on the cutbacks the town has been making.
Reviewing five possible options the town could take with regard to law enforcement coverage, Brackett said his least favorite was if the town opted to eliminate its own police department. The other options blended sheriff’s office contract services and the town police force in various degrees.
Brackett said the town has an advantage over other towns in the county, as it is the county seat and home to the sheriff’s office. Due to the close proximity of departments, there would be no need for the sheriff’s office to use the town office or have full time clerical support.
Brackett said the sheriff’s office could provide contractual services to the town at any level. Bremen, Bristol and South Bristol have contracted a shellfish warden and harbor master.
The town of Bremen contacted the sheriff’s office to contract out for a shellfish warden. Brackett said the need for a warden was high, as the town has had problems with shellfish poaching. The clamming industry in Bremen is significant and the town included funds in their budget to cover the costs of policing the flats.
In answer to a question from vice chair Phil DiVece, Brackett said he worked out a contract with Bremen officials, looking at what their law enforcement needs were and together they found a candidate for the position.
Brackett said town officials were very much involved in the selection process and that Deputy Brent Barter, who operates as the shellfish warden, has worked out well for the town. Bremen participates in providing some of the necessary equipment, as would other towns under contract with the sheriff’s office.
“I believe in local control,” he said, adding he thinks that local law enforcement is important.
Regardless of the level of contracted services, the cost would have to be calculated in the town budget. If the town did away with the police department altogether, Brackett said he would have to approach the county commissioners for more money, as it would require a minimum of three full-time deputies added to the county budget.
Wiscasset Board of Selectmen chair Bob Blagden noted that the estimated cost for this last option to provide police services without dedicated coverage and the estimated cost to keep the existing police department while contracting for services with the sheriff’s office were roughly the same. Brackett said the costs were estimates and would vary according to the level of contracted services. He said the costs were high, but would allow the sheriff’s office to keep response time down.
Selectman Pam Dunning asked Brackett about the mention of liability exposure, mentioned in the report. It states that the town’s current structure for the police department may be exposing it to liability.
Brackett said that while the comment was not a criticism of the police department, he said unsupervised staff could leave Allen’s department open to lawsuits. He said the town of Wiscasset is going to make a decision that is going to affect every town in the county. If the town does away with its police department, the sheriff’s office would have to cover police services. Even with the addition to the county budget of three full-time deputies, Brackett anticipated the town would suffer a decrease in police presence.
He said the sheriff’s office would work closely with the town regardless of its decision. The sheriff’s office and Wiscasset Police Dept. has had a positive working relationship, Brackett said, and his discussion with selectmen indicated he hoped that would continue.
The board thanked Brackett for his report, to which Brackett replied, “These are really just options for the town.” Selectmen said any decision on the matter would be left to the voting residents of Wiscasset.
Some selectmen said they had not sided on any one particular decision regarding the police department issue, when prompted by Allen after Brackett had left. Dunning said she needed to review the statistics in the report and look at all the data in order to make an educated decision.
Allen said he would review the material as well and would like to come back to the board with a response.
“I think the last thing the town should do is eliminate any department,” Allen said, adding that the town needs to do more with the police department rather than look elsewhere.
In line with other comments from the public, resident Joe Piccirillo said local officers know their area and can respond faster.
Polewarczyk pointed out that the market values on the funds increased (nearly 7 percent for the Reserve Fund and over 12 percent on the Endowment Fund) over the calendar year with a fee of 0.17 percent or $22,000.
“In my opinion Edward Jones has done and is continuing to do very well managing Wiscasset’s assets,” he said.
Polewarczyk mentioned the reason he believes the company no longer wants to do business with the town relates to some roadblocks in communication.
“Edward Jones is a good performer and has done well for Wiscasset over the last eight years,” he said. “As a result of the actions of this board, Wiscasset loses. Wiscasset will end up paying more and getting less.”
Dunning pointed out that the only people at the company who can talk about the town’s accounts are those specifically assigned to managing them. DiVece said there is a sub-committee in partnership with Town Manager Arthur Faucher and Dunning dedicated to this topic.
“I think it would be good to hear from the other members,” he said.
In agreement, Blagden said he would like to see a recommendation from the sub-committee to the board of selectmen. Bids on the management of the funds will be open to the public, Faucher said, adding that the board members would need to open the bids during a meeting.
The annual tree lighting event will be held on Dec. 5 at 4:30 p.m. Faucher said donations that came from the public served 29 families, totaling 110 people.
