CARIBOU, Maine — With shootings occurring across the country, and the threat of violence in many Maine schools, RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak recently made the decision to ramp up security in Caribou and Limestone schools.
Doak’s plan includes providing students and staff with training in ALICE, a program that emphasizes running or countering a shooter if hiding is not an option, installing buzzers and cameras, and including a police presence in RSU 39 schools.
Limestone Police Chief Stacey Mahan said he thinks having an officer in the schools is a “fantastic idea” and something the town “should have done years ago.”
Limestone Police Chief Stacey Mahan (Christopher Bouchard)
While Limestone Community School does not currently have a full-time resource officer, the chief said Officer Danny Gahagan, Jr. has been showing up at the school when he is able.
“We talked to Tim Doak and [LCS Principal] Sue White about it, and [Gahagan] is not there for the full day,” Mahan said, “but when the opportunity arises he will come up and interact with the students and staff. He’s doing it when he has the available time, and obviously he is compensated for that time.”
While RSU 39 officials are working out a payment agreement with Caribou, many Limestone residents are currently trying to leave RSU 39. In the event of the town’s successful withdrawal, funding for a resource officer at LCS would fall squarely on Limestone’s taxpayers as opposed to being spread out amongst Caribou, Limestone, and Stockholm residents.
Regardless, Mahan believes an officer should be present at the school for student safety and parents’ peace of mind.
“If withdrawal took place,’ he said, “we would put forward [a proposal] to continue this type of operation. I think it’s important to provide that sense of security to staff and students. We’ll continue to look for grants and other funding options.”
Limestone residents would need to vote to approve funding for a resource officer either at the annual town meeting or a special town meeting, and Mahan said that if Limestone has the ability to move forward, then he and other municipal officials will “bring it to the community.”
Currently, Gahagan’s presence at the school is working well for Limestone.
“We haven’t heard anything negative,” said Mahan. “Danny is really putting in his time up there by interacting with students and staff. I’m really happy that nothing negative has come out of it. When you start talking about having an officer spend time at your school, you want to have the right personality, someone who is responsive to kids, and Danny definitely fits that.”
In Caribou, Police Chief Michael Gahagan said he and Doak have discussed the possibility of hiring a full-time resource officer for schools within the city.
Chief Gahagan said he’s given Doak some financial figures for what an additional resource officer would cost RSU 39, and that, with benefits included, it would cost roughly $65,000 annually, adding that this figure would “of course have to be taken to the [RSU 39] finance board.”
Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan. (Christopher Bouchard)
Once an agreement is established, the police chief said Caribou PD would need to hire a new employee specifically for this position, and that the officer would be at a Caribou school 80 percent of the time and with the PD 20 percent of the time.
This officer, according to the chief, would rotate between Caribou schools at RSU 39’s discretion for the entirety of the school year.
“The officer would be utilized how they see fit during the school year,” Gahagan said. “That person would be in the school for the full year and then fill in for us during the summer.”
With this being new territory for both Caribou and Limestone, Chief Gahagan said a resource officer would need to undergo special training to work in the schools, and that he and school officials are looking at the near future in which this officer will work at the new Prek-8 school in addition to the high school.
Once the police and school board reach an agreement, residents would need to approve the funding at RSU 39’s annual budget meeting. City councilors also would need to approve the addition of an officer in Caribou’s schools.
Gahagan, like Mahan, believes this is an excellent idea, adding that “because the police and RSU 39 work so closely together, it would be beneficial to the community.”
“In today’s world, it just makes sense to have someone in the school system,” he said. “It’s just another safety net.”
