Top three selected in patch contest

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The field has been narrowed from 39 entries to three finalists for the Presque Isle Police Department’s patch contest, which kicked off earlier this year.
“Our top three entries are: Jeff Ouellette, of Caribou; Ken Keaton Designs, of Caribou; and Lynn Cote, no town given,” said Chief Matt Irwin, of the PIPD.
Irwin said now it’s a matter of determining which patch is best suited for reproduction.
“We’ve spoken with the finalists about changes. For example, lettering and white backgrounds. Once we got with the patch makers, it was determined there were a few issues that were problematic. We’re working to get those addressed. If we can’t, we’ll go to the next highest vote-getters. But we’re trying to stay with the top three if we can,” Irwin said.
Votes were entered by both at the public and municipal levels, with the contest getting under way in February and the patches being displayed at various locations in the months that followed, including at the Northeastland Hotel and the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library.
“City Council on down weighed in on the many entries we received. The public at large were the majority of the votes,” he said.
Irwin said revisions to the top three designs were requested, to better match certain production guidelines. He said small details and images in some of the designs proved to be a challenge when reproducing.
“Once they get back to me, I’ll submit the changes to the patch company. They’ll digitize and make modifications to accommodate embroidery, etc. Hopefully once they get these revisions, few changes will remain,” said Irwin.
The chief said he was impressed with the number of entries they received for the contest.
“We had 39 entries, the majority of which were from County residents. The total number of votes came to about 1,200, with the winning patch (Ouellette’s) garnering over 80 votes,” said Irwin.
Ouellette’s original design include a pine branch and cones, with the scales of justice at center. Changes have since been made to include more scenic imagery, depicting the department’s rural setting.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the finished product. It was a pleasure working with the public on this project,” said Irwin.