PATTEN, Maine — A Maine State Police commander will address Patten residents’ safety concerns and offer information on ways to better protect their homes and families on Wednesday.
Lt. Brian Harris, who spoke to town leaders and residents last September regarding state police staffing shortages to allay worries about a reduced police presence in the town, is returning to help concerned residents better protect their homes and families.
Wednesday’s presentation is a direct result of the September meeting, where several residents expressed concerns about increased drug activity and related crimes, said Town Manager Gail Albert. The lack of a local police department and an uptick in incidents and a number of homes being used as drug houses, is behind some of the concerns, she said.
“We welcome Lt. Harris’ availability to come back and if residents walk away even with one more tip to keep them safe, it’s worth it,” Albert said.
The event is slated for 2 p.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Library on Jan. 24 at the Lumberman’s Museum, 61 Shin Pond Road.
Initially, Patten public safety director Brett Morse and Albert called the September special public meeting with Harris. At the time, Morse, who manages 22 fire and ambulance crew members, referred to police response times of up to 2 hours endangering residents’ safety.
Harris said he could not guarantee faster responses if troopers are already on another call. But he tried to assure everyone that when an emergency call comes in, he does everything he can to get law enforcement on a dangerous scene, including calling the Border Patrol or game wardens if they can get there more quickly, he said.
For more information on Wednesday’s meeting, call the library at 207-528-2164.
