LUBEC, Maine — There’s no crime wave in Lubec, but the Washington County border town is exploring the option — and the costs — of creating its own police department.
With a population of 1,300, more or less, Lubec now provides law enforcement services through a contract with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. For $181,358 a year, the department provides Lubec with an 86-hours-a-week, two-officer patrol system, as other demands permit.
“They can get called away as other situations in the county arise,” said John Sutherland, Lubec’s town administrator.
Sutherland said Monday an informal committee is looking into both the startup costs and the annual operating costs of establishing a Lubec Police Department. There is no timeline for completing the analysis.
“We want to determine if, for the same money, we can have officers devoted full time to Lubec,” Sutherland said.
Lubec is the only town in Washington County that covers police services with contracted sheriff’s deputies. Jonesport once did, but recently opted out and now has no formal law enforcement program.
What does Lubec get for roughly $500 a day?
“They get two fully trained and fully equipped deputies and 86 hours a week of coverage,” said Michael St. Louis, who is the county’s first deputy. “It’s not 24 hours, but, when they are there, they’re checking buildings and answering calls and doing what municipal officers do.”
The county’s manpower commitment exceeds contract parameters as crime happens, St. Louis said.
“When there’s a major crime there, they don’t just get one or two officers,” he said. “They get our whole agency, which is how we do business.”
Ok..something I get from this. Mr. St.Louis is talking to the media. I dont think I have EVER seen him release something to the media. Mr. Smith is from our area here and he did not want to talk to the media about his home town and how the Sheriffs Office has failed at many levles to provide good qaulity officers and service. Looks like old Donnie boy must have been told to keep his trap shut…now thats funny
….and it just may be that Sheriff Smith is out of town at a conference, and second-in-command St. Louis is doing his job as he should be when the boss is away…just saying
ohh then it should be interesting how is will try to defend his department for the shortcomings for lack of coverage and how everyone in lubec (at least the ones who dont trust him) wait until the State Police cover
When an officer is on duty in Washington County, they usually have to cover a VERY LARGE area, which also covers the remote areas of northern Washington County. Everything depends on what kind of budget the sheriff’s department has to work with. Sometimes, an officer may be on duty in Lubec, but if there is an emergency that requires him to go to another part of the county, then he goes there. The money that Lubec pays the sheriff’s dept covers a specific number of officers and a specific amount of hours…..and that’s what Lubec feels they can AFFORD….and it is all negotiated between the town and the sheriff’s dept.
Good..more the training the better. Hopefully a course on keeping his trap shut
I think we all know just how you feel about Donnie, so leave it alone, already! You post ALL the time about your dislike of him……like I said on a different post, it’s like coming across a TV show you haven’t seen for awhile, and finding out you’ve seen the same episode…over and over again!
Amen to that old!
try living in a town where there are no cops we somehow survive or maybe it is our own law taking the law into our own hands seems to work here
One question. They couldn’t keep their high school open, how will the town financially support a police department?
It was cheaper to tuition the kids out to other schools than keep them in Lubec. Not only that, but there are ALOT more opportunities at other schools than Lubec could ever dream to offer. I believe Lubec is saving about $3,000 per student a year and even with the cost of transportation, there is still a savings. Not sure how much, but there is a savings. If the school had to take these steps, where are the steps of the town administrator to make cuts within their own operating system? Some teachers lost their jobs, what about some town employees?
When a town has one police officer, that officer loses his own life. They may schedule him for 40 hours a week but that could lead to little patrol time. The officer patrols makes one arrest, brings him to jail and/or hospital and has to wait till this is processed. Now he has to drive back home and patrol and also do the paperworks. Now he has to follow through by bringing the paperwork to the clerk of courts/DA for processing. More travel time both ways. Then he has to go to court and testify More travel time both ways. The wait in court takes time too. His patrol time would greatly be reduced. There would be no one around while he his gone. What happens to that officer is that he is expected to answer every call. Has this town figured about dispatch? Pretty soon, people are saying he isn’t doing his job cause he doesn’t want to work 70 to 80 hours a week. You hire two officers pay them $20.00 work them only forty hours a week $800. each comes to $1600. a week times 52 weeks that’s 83,200 a year. Now throw in a cruiser, gas, maintenance I would safely say cruiser outfitted $40,000. gas 7592. year most probably more. Well this comes to $199.200 for the first year (We had to buy a cruiser) This doesn’t take into consideratios vacation, sickness replacements, insurance, uniforms, health insurance, retirement. You got a good deal with the Sheriff’s department. Keep it.
Well then, they ACTUALLY have to DO their job and make some arrests and REALLLLLYY investigate crimes when they happen. They have to do MORE than just pull speeders over! There are many OUI people in Lubec, there are MANY break-ins at homes, drug dealings going on IN THE OPEN, do more bail checks, do something about the underage drinking parties that go on ALL THE TIME! In other words, the cops need to do what they were sworn to do and what they are GETTING PAID to do!………not just ride around and look the other way! Or at a g/f’s house (or in the willywags) to get a piece of….