Hiring of out-of-state police chief draws mixed reviews
It’s not about homicides
To the editor;
The headline “Council hires police chief” in the front page of the Feb. 23, Star-Herald, begs the obvious question.
“Why does Jim Bennett think the citizens of Presque Isle need a lieutenant from a 1,400 force from urban Orlando, Florida, to lead a 20-member force in rural northern Maine?” Bennett is quick to point out that the Lieutenant has extensive experience in high-profile homicide cases. “Several of those have included high-profile cases with national and worldwide interest”. When was the last time Presque Isle needed to place all of its chief’s expertise in homicides?
What the city needs is law enforcement expertise in a rural small city in a county that is home to the nation’s oldest population, one of the highest unemployment rates, and in an economy based on natural resources. What we got was a large city homicide investigator, from a bustling urban center with a fully employed youthful population based on theme-park tourism, who has never been to Maine.
The Lieutenant has 25 years of law enforcement experience, including 16 years of investigative experience. Well, so do the two local finalists from the local department. The difference is that the local candidates know the landscape, the 20-person department, the law enforcement needs and the citizenry. Bennett missed a golden opportunity at the expense of the more qualified local department candidates and the citizens of Presque Isle. Non-support from the top always equals greater non-support from the bottom.
One has to wonder if the appointment at a special meeting was to avoid citizen participation afforded at a regular city council meeting?
Victor Brown
Presque Isle
