By Tammie Mulvey
Houlton Rotarian
HOULTON — The Houlton Rotary Club welcomed Lt. John Cote of Troop F of the Maine State Police to its regular meeting Aug. 4. Cote discussed how well the entire local, federal, and international law enforcement agencies work together.
Contributed photo/Michael Clark
SPECIAL GUEST — The Houlton Rotary Club welcomed Lt. John Cote, center, of Troop F of the Maine State Police as its guest speaker Aug. 4. With Cote are Rotary President Amy Hocking and Houlton Town Manager Butch Asselin.
Much of his discussion was using the Acadian Congress as an example of how well all law enforcement agencies are working together, and of course for this 10-day event it also included international law enforcement agencies.
Cote briefly discussed issues with meth labs in Aroostook County and how important on-going training is for all officers. He also mentioned how law enforcement has changed over the years. In Houlton there are spots for 18 troopers, but there are currently three vacancies.
Another reason why all the law enforcement agencies must work together is there is a lot of land to cover. The expectation is for a trooper to always be on call, and that they are involved in the community volunteering maybe as a coach or anything that makes community members comfortable with them. So when they need assistance it is easier to ask and they actually encourage folks to ask questions on and off duty.
Troopers are a vital part of our community and should be well known to each of us and respected for keeping people as safe as they can. Most people when they see a police car look immediately at their speedometer, which is very normal, but can put a negative tone to the experience.
The area is fortunate to have so many law enforcement agencies that offer protection. They have a difficult, and at times very dangerous job, so when you see an officer tell them “thank you!”
I personally say thank you, and the Houlton Rotary Club says thank you to all who are protecting us every day.
