LUBEC, Maine — For the past eight years, the more than 1,300 residents of this remote seaside Washington County community have had their law enforcement needs met under a contract with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. That contract ends June 30 and won’t be renewed.
Due to manpower shortages, Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith is pulling the plug on an agreement that, for $181,358 a year, provided Lubec with an 86-hours-a-week, two-officer patrol system. Those deputies made routine patrols, checking buildings and responding to resident concerns.
“We’re down by two deputies,” Smith said. “And recruitment and retention is way down, not only here but statewide. We just can’t continue to do this.”
“We had no idea that Donnie was facing these staffing issues,” Lubec Town Administrator John Sutherland said Friday. “There will be police coverage, through the Maine State Police and the sheriff’s department, as needed.”
Lubec is the only Washington County community that covers police services with contracted sheriff’s deputies, which costs the town about $500 a day. Jonesport once did, but recently opted out and now has no local law enforcement operation.
Lubec recently organized an informal committee to explore the cost and benefits of establishing its own police department. The loss of contract police services has prompted a harder look at how best to provide police coverage, Sutherland said.
“If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right,” he said. “We would have to have adequately trained officers and look at other costs, including vehicles and the costs of outfitting officers. That includes everything from weapons and computers to establishing a secure evidence room.”
Sutherland has only good things to say about Lubec’s relationship with Smith’s department.
“They’ve done a great job of working with us to resolve the issues we have here,” he said. “We sent them a thank you letter. It’s time now to take a look at what we need to do to move forward.”
Good luck Lubec. For some reason, I sense that there is more to the story than contained in the article. Compare the cost of police services in Lubec and Eastport and you will realize that this arrangement was cost effective which resulted in efficient enforcement. Maybe Lubec should make the manager the commissioner and / or czar. The transition will be extremely difficult. Sheriff Smith is a very good man.
If you read the article, you will see that the agreement was terminated by the Sheriff’s department due to staffing shortages, not by the Town of Lubec.
It is not more cost effective. Eastport has crunched the numbers for several years during the budget sessions and found it cheaper by $30K plus. ANd you have your police here and not off patroling the rest of the County. Remember, when seconds count the police are only minutes away.
Although I am not happy the coverage will not be covered the amount of time that was in contract, those here know that the deputies covering was NEVER in Lubec and always elsewhere and most likely for good reason. On the other hand, we have a better chance getting a trooper to respond so that the complaint will be handled effectively.
For $180k they can afford to do their own.
I dont know, salaries, insurance, medical, retirement, cruisers, equiptment, training, OVERTIME are big tickets issues to remember. And then sooo many unknowns
It used to be that part timers had to supply [everything] from the uniform, to firearms, duty belt, body armor, badges and ammunition (both duty and range) and all training including required training had to be attended for free. There’s no real incentive to be a part timer. The only people who were issued everything and paid for trainings were full timers. I doubt anything has changed. Part timers shouldn’t be killing the budget. Part timers can work 1040 hours in a calendar year so if there WERE SOME each one who worked could work 20 hours a week, every week, make a little bit of money and not go over the hour limit.
So a police department of no full time academy trained and only part time? No thanks…I will take the occasional deputy and the more occasional trooper for Lubec
No, my comment was in reference to the Sheriff’s Dept.
Before Lubec even begins to do this, please, get a hold of the CALEA Manager that any CALEA certified Department has on staff and get a copy of the current CALEA Standard’s. Not to belittle anyone but if you are goning to do ‘this’ right then do it right, right outta the gate and do it so that it’s done to the point that Lubec’s Municipal Insurance Carrier doesn’t use this a reason to ‘jack up’ their rate’s. CALEA also has the advantage of providing assistance in compliance and that goes a long way in keeping whatever form of law enforcement agency they decide on in step with legally compliant and defensible policies. One would even think that Sheriff Smith might be able to helput on this one. I know that MSP can. Next step is ………
If Donnie hadn’t run out several deputies, there wouldn’t be the manpower shortage. There used to be several part time people who could have helped out, now there’s barely a handful left and part time people DO have to work other jobs to be able to survive. Losing a significant amount of part time people greatly decreases the chances of getting people to fill in.
you mean if he didn’t fire them
Fire, run out, get rid of, terminate it all pretty much means the same thing. :o)
You mean if he didnt clean up the mess that Tibbetts left behind?
Sheriff Donnie Smith at it again it’s already bad enough that the sheriff department is lacking in man power,you hardly hear of any sheriff units in perry,pembroke,dennysville,edmunds any more that is because thre are none,once in a blue moon will you hear a sheriff unit in that area it’s mostly state police.I think what the people of Washington county needs to do is kick him out of the office.
“We had no idea that Donnie was facing these staffing issues,” Lubec Town Administrator John Sutherland said Friday.
Has Sutherland been hiding under a rock for the past 2 years??? There have been multiple reports in the local papers about staffing shortages at the Sheriff’s Office. It’s no secret, except to Sutherland apparently.
Is it already bad enough he cuts ties woth the MDEA,He has forced other deputies to get done and they had to take other jobs oflaw enforcement.I know of a few that had to get another job in a small town police department.
LOL “They’ve done a great job of working with us to resolve the issues we have here,” he said.(Sutherland said). The issues still exist! There is still a very large drug problem as well as underage drinking parties going on all the time! Putting a doctor in the hot seat is not resolving issues! I know of people who time and time again have made complaints of the underage parties…….giving addresses, the people involved (if it was at a house) and when these parties are going to take place and NOTHING was done! Break-ins that are unsolved, bail checks that need to be done, restraining orders being violated, speeding, stalking…There is a large amount of people driving unregistered vehicles (some over a year) and uninspected (again, some over a year). Yup, Lubec was getting their monies worth alright…….Time and again, the residents of Lubec have been calling the MSP in order to get the answers they need and the protection they deserve!
$ 500 a day.
He isn’t cleaning up any mess left by anyone. One of the deputies is going to work for the State Police. The other man they are down is due to him driving his truck off the road and leaving the scene of the accident. Jeeesh can’t imagine why.
Lubec didn’t “recently” organize a committee. This is something that has been talked about for almost a year now. Sutherland and the board of selectmen knew what was going to be happening a long time ago. And now that push has come to shove, Lubec’s back is up against the wall and there will be an 11th hour decision made and they’re going to get screwed over one way or another……and it will probably be financially!
I think we should put cassidy back on the department so we can all get rich. We all know he is not playing with a full head. O I forgot he can’t carry a firearm anymore. o to bad Gib the pig.
The wild west ,in the way downeast….EHAH !!!
So who covers Lubec is it the Sheriff’s Dept or the State Police and whats the big difference? Their both cops.