BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Police Department believes that community involvement is vital to its effort to stem crime in the city and on Wednesday evening, took a step toward deepening its ties with residents, business owners and others during an informal meeting and discussion.
“We need the community’s help to solve the problems in the community,” Sgt. Tim Cotton said as he introduced the Bangor Community Outreach Policing program.
About 35 people came to the Bangor Y to learn about the type of crime in the city and find out how they can become part of the solution.
“Let’s cut to the chase. We’re in this neighborhood because of drugs,” Bangor Police Chief Mark Hathaway said when asked why the department was focusing its efforts in the area that includes parts of Ohio, Hammond, Clinton and nearby streets.
Wednesday’s gathering was prompted in large part by the recent surge in drug use in the city, including a drug and gun pipeline running between Bangor and several cities in Connecticut and New York, according to officials from the Bangor Police Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency who were on hand for the discussion.
“They’re bringing up a product they are buying for $10 and selling for $100,” Lt. Steven Hunt, an MDEA supervisory agent, said of the heroin that has been coming into the city.
Assistant Attorney General Patrick Larson, who prosecutes many MDEA drug cases, added that not all the buyers are from Bangor, which he pointed out is becoming a “clearinghouse for drugs.”
Once here, drugs are being purchased by people from Down East for resale in their own communities.
As part of its effort to stem the tide of crime in the area, Bangor police are coordinating a far-reaching initiative that will include personnel from other city departments and the MDEA.
“We are going to do an unannounced sweep of” targeted areas, said Cotton.
“We don’t obviously tell people when we’re coming, but when we do, we’re coming with drug dogs. We’re coming with police officers and teams, probation and maybe some people from code enforcement,” he said.