Veazie Town Council rejects police grant

VEAZIE — The Veazie Town Council this week opted not to accept a federal Cops More grant which would have funded a Police Department clerical post for a year.

“The council passed on that,” said Town Manager William Reed. A majority of councilors, he said, felt that having more officers for law enforcement and patrol work was of higher priority than was clerical help.

While they felt it was needed, town officials thought it was unlikely that Veazie would be able to fund a clerical police position after the grant dried up.

Earlier this summer, the town accepted a grant under the Cops Fast program, also funded under the crime bill. That program funds 75 percent of the cost of a police officer for up to three years. Participating communities fund the balance.

In another Police Department matter, the Town Council decided to hold off on the purchase of a new police cruiser. The purchase will be re-evaluated early next year.

The town usually retires its secondary cruisers at 100,000 miles, Reed said. The town’s secondary cruiser is at about the 80,000-mile mark. Reed said police Chief Frank Crowley said the department typically travels 1,000 miles a week.