BANGOR, Maine — A plaque recognizing the service of a former Bangor police chief who died of cancer in 2014 soon may be placed outside the city’s police headquarters.
On Monday night, the city’s government operations committee recommended the full council approve an order dedicating the Bangor Police Department building on Summer Street to the memory of late Chief Don Winslow.
Winslow died on July 10, 2014, about five months after announcing cancer had resurged in his lungs. He was 57. He retired from the department in 2007, serving eight of those years as chief.
If the dedication is approved next week, a plaque recognizing Winslow’s contributions to the city and department would be placed outside the station.
Winslow’s support was instrumental in the effort to build the new police headquarters along Main Street, according to city councilors.
The dedication proposal was brought forward by Winslow family friend and Orrington resident Corenna O’Brien.
O’Brien said she plans to launch a fundraising effort to pay for the plaque, which is expected to cost between $1,200 and $2,000.
The council is expected to decide during its Jan. 12 meeting whether to move forward with the dedication. City councilors have expressed support for the idea.
City and police staff would then work with members of the Winslow family to determine the wording of the plaque. That wording would be reviewed by the government operations committee once it’s drafted.
In other police business, the city’s finance committee gave its initial go-ahead to set aside funding for the purchase of a new police dog.
One of the department’s dogs, Havoc, was retired from the force in October because of “persistent issues associated with performance and training concerns.”
Havoc’s handler, Officer Kim Donnell, took the pup into her own care.
The retirement left the department short one dog. Bangor police Chief Mark Hathaway told the finance committee in a memo that the department wanted to work with a reputable breeder. He said that could cost up to $8,000 but likely would bring a well-trained, reliable dog to the department — one that can deal with “various stressful situations without hesitation.”
If approved, the city would set aside up to $8,000 and work with a Gorham-based company that trains dogs for police, military and personal protection. That breeder has trained dogs for police departments in Portland, Freeport, Ellsworth and Presque Isle in recent years. The funding likely will come from drug seizure money received by the city, according to Finance Director Deb Cyr.
The police dog purchase likely will be up for approval by the full council during its Monday, Jan. 12, meeting.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter @nmccrea213.