State group to review Veazie police status

The Veazie Town Council has agreed to have a committee from the Maine Chiefs of Police Association review the Veazie Police Department and make recommendations regarding the status and possible expansion of the department.

Town Manager Gerry Kemp said that the council had been debating whether the town was in need of a full-time police officer for about a year. The department is made up of 10 part-time police officers and a part-time police chief.

Kemp said, however, that the police chief, Brian Lunt, announced his resignation at the council meeting Monday night.

Kemp said Lunt had a full-time job and found the police chief position was too demanding of his time.

Three members of the MCPA are scheduled to arrive in Veazie on Sunday, Jan. 27. Kemp said they would spend three days in Veazie and would evaluate every aspect of the department, including policies and procedures, office space, dispatch services, and the department’s interaction with the community.

They also will make a recommendation regarding the town’s need for a full-time officer.

The service is expected to cost the town about $1,500, Kemp said.

The discussion about the need to alter the department were prompted by an increase in criminal activity in Veazie, Kemp said.

“There has definitely been an increase in crimes,” he said.

He said there had been a marked increase in burglaries and thefts.

It is often difficult for officers to follow through cases because they work part time and some officers work only one or two days a week.

Kemp said he thought it would be beneficial if the town had an experienced full-time officer. He said the department had a hard time communicating with other agencies because no one was sure whom to contact at the Veazie department.

Kemp said he hoped to receive a written report from the MCPA on Friday, Feb. 15.