Waldoboro police target of petition Recent shooting spurs effort

WALDOBORO – Residents have mounted a petition drive to eliminate the town’s police department in the wake of last week’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a town police officer.

“This just brought everything to a head,” petition organizer Patricia Chapman said of the shooting death of Gregori Jackson, 18, of Whitefield by part-time Patrolman Zachary Curtis. “People have been dissatisfied with the police department for the last 20 years. There’s been a lot of unrest in town about it for a long time.”

Chapman, a former town clerk, said she had about a dozen people canvassing the neighborhoods with petitions calling for a referendum on closing the police department. She said the group needed to collect 220 signatures to present the petition to the Board of Selectmen.

If the petition drive is successful, the selectmen could schedule a special election on the matter or wait until next year’s annual town meeting, she said Saturday. The town has approximately 5,000 residents.

“It’s going pretty good; people are very receptive to it,” Chapman said of the petition. “It may not come to be, but you don’t know until you bring it to the people.”

Attempts to reach acting Police Chief Jamie Wilson for a comment on the petition drive over the weekend were unsuccessful.

Jackson was killed at approximately 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, after a traffic stop on the Friendship Road. According to Brian MacMaster, chief investigator for the Maine Attorney General’s Office, Curtis was patrolling the town in his cruiser when he noticed a vehicle swerve across the centerline and pulled the car over. A juvenile was behind the wheel, and Jackson and another minor were passengers. Police have declined to release the names of the juveniles.

At some point after the traffic stop, Jackson got out of the car and began scuffling with Officer Curtis. Jackson then broke free of the officer and ran off down the road, according to MacMaster. Curtis chased Jackson into the woods where the two grappled again until Curtis drew his weapon and shot Jackson. The state medical examiner determined that Jackson died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

Curtis, 24, was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the Attorney General’s investigation. MacMaster indicated that the investigation should take about 30 days.

Augusta attorney Roger Katz, who is representing the Jackson family, said last week that he believed officer inexperience played a major role in the shooting. Curtis was a reserve officer who has served with Waldoboro police since February 2006. As a reserve officer, Curtis had received 100 hours of formal training.

“We need to let the investigation run its course, but it appears that an inexperienced officer has shot an unarmed kid, and that is the tragedy that should never have happened,” Katz said.

John Chapman, (no relation to Patricia) the Portland attorney representing the town and Curtis, disagreed. Chapman said that Jackson was attempting to choke Curtis and that his client used his weapon in self-defense. He said police officers were allowed to use deadly force when they feel it is necessary. He said Jackson was bigger and stronger than Curtis.

“From what I understand, he [Curtis] was being choked by a physically stronger individual,” Chapman said.

Jackson is listed in court records as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. Curtis is 6 feet tall and slightly overweight, he said.

Nearly 200 mourners gathered at a Gardiner funeral home as Jackson was laid to rest on Saturday. Jackson’s father spoke briefly, thanking those in attendance and expressing hope that none would suffer a similar loss.

“Everybody has been great to us, and we really appreciate it,” Millard Jackson said.

At the time of his death, Jackson was awaiting trial on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants, driving to endanger, failure to stop for an officer and operating without a license following an arrest in Cumberland County on July 28.

“Most people are like me. They are going to reserve judgment on the shooting until the investigation is completed,” Patricia Chapman said. “But there are a lot of people in town who feel we don’t need a full-time police department.”

Chapman said the police department has five full-time and five-part time officers. She said the budget for the department is $360,000 for the current year. She said there are nine towns surrounding Waldoboro and none have a full-time department. She said the state police and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department had the ability to cover Waldoboro, just as they do the surrounding towns.

“I don’t know if we have any more crime than the surrounding ones, and they don’t have any more crime than we have,” Chapman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.