LUBEC, Maine — This remote Washington County coastal community may go more than a year without routine law enforcement services after a long-standing contract that now provides police protection through the Washington County Sheriff’s Department runs out in 15 days.
Lubec, which has a population of 1,300, has no police department. For the past eight years, law enforcement needs here have been 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 within his own department, Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith has pulled the plug on renewing the agreement. The police protection contract provides Lubec with an 86-hours-a-week, two-officer patrol system at a cost of $181,358 a year, the equivalent of $500 a day.
When working the Lubec contract, Washington County deputies make routine patrols, check on the security of homes and businesses and respond to residents’ concerns.
Smith said his department’s duty roster is two deputies short and that recruiting new deputies has proven challenging, not only in Washington County but statewide. Without the extra contract coverage, police services Lubec requires will be provided as needed through the Maine State Police and the sheriff’s department.
William Daye, chairman of Lubec’s Board of Selectmen, said Thursday it may take more than a year to sort out how the town can best meet its law enforcement needs. Some months ago, before Daye and other town officials learned that Smith would not be renewing the police protection contract, the town appointed a committee to study the costs and other issues inherent in Lubec having its own police department.
“Right now we’re in the process of putting up a public works building and a sand and salt shed,” Daye said. “That’s been both time-consuming and expensive. After that project is behind us, I anticipate that we will revive the work of the police committee, which will explore alternatives.”
After analysis of the costs and benefits of the various alternatives identified, Daye said the issue likely will be discussed and voted upon at the August 2013 town meeting.
Lubec is the only Washington County community that covers police services with contracted sheriff’s deputies. Jonesport once did, but recently opted out and now has no local law enforcement operation.
Like the Crips and the Bloods are having gun battles downtown over Drug Territory in Lubec.
Don’t laugh.Rural communities across the country are dealing with them and others right aat the same time the TPers refuse to pay for basic services.WE NEED more cops,fire, teachers.Crime will move right in if there is a reasonable chance nobody’s watching.
Yeah; no one would notice “Crips and Bloods” in Lubec. They blend in nicely with the Lobster fishermen and the local store keepers.
Frankly in a battle between the Los Angles want-to-bees and our local drug cartel, my money is on the locals. They are better armed, and know the lay of the land.
By-the way in case you haven’t noticed “the cops” have not made even a small dent in the Washington County Drug trade. All they have done is to chase away a excellent physician, and leave Lubec a poorer place.
Were I a Lubecer, I’d feel safer now that they are gone.
ATTENTION ALL THIEVES and BURGLARS!!!
Lubec is ripe for the picking. NO POLICE to worry about.
Why on earth would they put this in the paper worded like this?
Tomorrow they will be reporting that gun sales to homeowners skyrocket in the Lubec area.
But he has to be in the news or it wouldn’t be him. He is planing something!! It wouldn’t be like him to have some other motive handy
Followed by more family violence,suicides and murders.The NRA-helping to keep the population down.
What a self-serving one-sided misinformed story.
The Washington County Sheriff will still respond to calls from Lubec. People will just have to call a Machias number. By the way, that is a local call now. 911 will still work The State Police will still patrol the State roads leading to Lubec. The Ambulance and EMT crew will still be available. Incidentally, even with the “contract” it was not always easy to locate a cop in town.
There are MANY MANY cities and towns far larger than Lubec which have no local law enforcement unit. In fact these communities usually have a lower crime rate than those communities with a “cop shop.”
The will still call 911, and they will contact the department covering the area at that time.
There are many towns in Maine with the same or larger population as Lubec who have no dedicated contracted services for local law enforcement…..and just like these other communities when the need arises the County and State Police agencies will still respond to emergencies and other law related matters, and I would think that by way of routine patrol, an occasional visit to the town would be happening….seems like a good way to save almost $200,000 per year…..
So who provides better service? The Sheriff’s Dept. or the State Police? Maybe it a bad thing, maybe it’s a good thing.