Brownville’s police policy reviewed

We respect every citizen’s right to express their opinion, such as the one expressed in the op-ed piece titled, “Brownville needs public dialogue,” in the Jan. 6 Bangor Daily News. However, we feel it is imperative to clarify facts related to the operation and administration of the Brownville Police Department so voters can make informed decisions at the annual town meeting this March.

The decision made by the Board of Selectmen relating to the operation of our police department has not gone beyond the authorities granted by the town’s charter or town meeting vote. All board action has been taken with the expressed intent of bringing the matter before the voters at the town meeting this spring. Discussions the board has had regarding police operation and administration have been held in open session of duly noted selectmen’s meetings. In the last year, this issue has appeared in more than eight posted selectmen meeting agendas. We have welcomed public input during this process and it was, in fact, the comments of community members who attended these meetings that led us to explore the operational options further.

Several times in the last two years the Brownville Police Department has been forced to cope with gaps in coverage as the result of an approved medical leave and turnover of departmental personnel. During each shortage, at our request, the town of Milo helped to fill in the gaps with staffing that kept coverage on our streets without overspending our budget. When our former police chief resigned last August, we again turned to Milo for assistance while we examined the options available for the operation and administration of the police department. While the board appointed a citizen hiring committee and began the search for a new police chief, we also gathered information about many different structural options for the department. Our desire to solicit community input into the decision as to what structural option we chose led to the informational meeting held on Oct. 15, 2002.

It is important to clarify that this meeting was advertised and conducted as an information meeting, not a town meeting. The informal straw poll, requested by members of the Board of Selectmen, was not a binding vote, but rather designed to give us an indication of the desires of the 103 community members present. After the public meeting closed, at a scheduled selectmen’s meeting, the board voted three to two to return to the previous operational structure.

Based upon our formal vote, the hiring committee continued with the process of interviewing four of the eight applicants for the position of police chief. In a verbal report to the full board of selectmen, the hiring committee unanimously recommended that none of the applicants fulfilled the criteria the committee felt was needed to best serve the town of Brownville. Therefore, the selectmen voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the committee and not fill the full-time position at that time. Members of the hiring committee worked very well together, taking the assigned task seriously and reaching all decisions unanimously without dissent or need for intervention by individuals, either elected or appointed. Legally, we are unable to comment on the individual applicants for the position. However, we would clarify that while a candidate’s educational background is certainly important, it is not the only criteria to be examined.

The board has voted unanimously to recommend at the annual town meeting that the voters appropriate $74,750 for the operation of the police department. This would fund continuing the current operational structure staffed with a part-time chief of police, full-time patrol officer, scheduled reserves and some shared coverage with Milo. We feel this is the most cost-effective way to provide comprehensive coverage while maintaining local control of the policing of our community.

During these very bleak economic times, we strongly support this option that represents a savings of nearly $30,000 to our community while providing 24-hour police coverage to our citizens. In an effort to provide voters with comparative information, we have also voted to include information about the costs associated with staffing the department with a full-time police chief, full-time patrol officer and scheduled reserves on the annual town meeting warrant. Individuals with specific questions about the operational options for the police department should contact the town office at 965-2561 for more information. We encourage citizens to attend the annual town meeting on March 17 at the Brownville Junction Alumni Hall.

This commentary was submitted by the following members of the Brownville Board of Selectmen: Chairman Dennis W. Green, Gary Cook, Robert Hamlin, Ronald Mihalik and Wilbur Nichols.