LIMESTONE, Maine — Concerned Limestone residents crowded into the town’s selectpeople chamber, with at least a dozen lining up out in the lobby for an emergency meeting regarding the future of the town’s police force.
Selectpeople ultimately decided to hold a referendum within the next 45 days in which residents can vote on having 24-hour police coverage, 18-hour staffing, or no municipal police force at all. Since this item is being moved to a special referendum, it will not be discussed during Limestone’s annual meeting in June.
Many of the public comments were in support of keeping the town’s police force, with one commenter suggesting a neighborhood watch if Limestone loses their police, and another asking if the town had an ax to grind and was proposing the elimination of the police due to personal feelings toward Chief Stacey Mahan.
While Selectpeople did not respond to residents during the public hearing, saving their statements until afterward, Police Chief Stacey Mahan spoke to many local concerns about the police and the possibility of removing their department entirely during an April 24 Emergency Selectpeople meeting at the Limestone Town Office. From left, Officers John Barclay, Scott MacCallum, and Chief Stacey Mahan.
(Christopher Bouchard)
“I don’t think anybody’s out to get me,” Chief Mahan said. “I’ve been here since ‘97, left for three years and then came back. If someone was out to get me, I wouldn’t have come back.”
He said the police budget has been an issue for Limestone for as long as he can remember, and while others were serving as chief.
Chief Mahan offered nothing but accolades for his officers who, he said, possess a wide variety of invaluable skills.
“When I look at this group, I have paramedics, EMTs, and two guys with SWAT training,” Mahan said. “I have guys trained to handle an active shooter situation.”
One person asked the chief how much time his department spent at Loring Job Corps.
“Not as much as you’d think,” Mahan said. “I couldn’t give you exact numbers, but we go there less than we go to Sunrise Apartments.”
The Chief described the varied skills each member of the LImestone PD brings to the table, adding that one of his officers knows how to deal with animal-related incidents, and that another is a mechanic who can change the brakes on their cruisers.
“My heart’s in this town and I know I’m not perfect,” Mahan said. “I’ll stand here and tell you if I’ve done something wrong. I was brought up to take my smack if I deserve it. The reality of it is, I look at a lot of faces here that I’ve seen during a call. We want to be able to do the best we can, we’re not perfect we make mistakes, and hopefully all those mistakes are addressed.”
Following public comment, Selectman Greg Ward explained that he was the one who suggested eliminating the police force, and responded to some audience concerns about why the PD seems to be on the chopping block more than other town departments.
“The question is asked about why we don’t look at other departments,” Ward said. “The Rec, Highway, Library, and Admin departments haven’t had help they’ve had in the past. Everyone else has been cut to the bone. I have had people tell me we need to get rid of police and others say we need to get rid of the police, recreation, and library departments. Nobody has intentions of cutting the police 100 percent. Fort Fairfield and Van Buren both have part-time police. We were short one officer recently and couldn’t cover 24 hours. Other communities are getting by with less than what you’d call 24-hour coverage.”
Ward added that two thirds of the proposed police budget is related to personnel costs, and that Maine State Retirement is responsible for increases as well.
Currently, the 2016-17 police budget is $273,393, while the proposed 2017-18 budget for 24-hour coverage is $317,998.]
