Another city in Aroostook County could close its police department

WASHBURN, Maine – May 30, 2024 – Maine State Police Sgt. Ryan Kilcollins (left) and Aroostook County Sheriff Peter Johnson listen as Washburn officials and residents debate whether to close or keep the town’s police department. (Paula Brewer | The Star-Herald)

WASHBURN, Maine — A small group of Washburn residents agreed Thursday night that permanently closing the police department would be the best solution for the town. If voters approve it on June 11, it will happen.

About 15 residents, along with city officials and representatives from the Maine State Police and Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, gathered for a public hearing in the Washburn District High School gymnasium.

Aroostook’s small towns have struggled to retain police due to staffing shortages and difficulties recruiting. Van Buren closed its police station in 2021, and Limestone followed suit a year ago, transferring responsibilities to state police and sheriff’s deputies. Now, Washburn residents will decide on Tuesday, June 11, whether to keep their own police force or leave law enforcement to sheriff’s deputies and state troopers.

“So we would really like to have a police department, but we don’t see a practical way to staff it, and the cost is too high,” said local resident Rodney Corey. Others in the audience nodded in agreement.

The police station has been empty since February 29, when part-time chief Cyr Martin’s term ended. With the police department left without leadership and with only one officer, officials in the town of about 1,500 residents closed the station until the public could vote on how to proceed.

The city faced a similar situation in 2017, when residents voted narrowly (173 to 162) to keep the department open. When former Police Chief Robert Thibeault resigned in 2019, Washburn partnered with Ashland to share Police Chief Cyr Martin, who is also Ashland’s city manager.

Martin was assigned to serve part-time at Washburn, where he remained for five years.

Given the increasing challenges of leading law enforcement in both communities as well as his duties as city manager, Martin decided to leave the post in January of this year. He stayed for another month and his last day of work was February 29, as his successor canceled.

One of Washburn’s two police officers, Chandler Cole, resigned on Feb. 26 after being arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence in a missing person case involving Washburn resident Erik Foote. The other, Doran Hurlburt-Labree, had not attended the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and took another job in Ashland.

During Thursday’s hearing, Washburn City Manager Donna Turner shared the questions that will be on the local ballot on June 11. Question 1 is, “Do you want the Washburn Police Department to remain open?” Question 2 asks “yes” voters whether they approve $198,486 to fund the police department for the remaining seven months of the fiscal year.

The biggest problem is filling the positions, Turner said. The department can’t function without a chief, and aside from the man who changed his mind, the only applicants have no experience in law enforcement. One said he had no experience at all.

“We’re not getting anything for the applicants,” she said. “That tells me we can vote on hiring a police department, but I don’t know where we’re going to find people.”

Even if the city could hire officers, police in small towns are like a revolving door because people come to gain experience and then move on, one resident said.

Towns in Aroostook County and across the state of Maine are facing the same shortages, said Councilman Fred Thomas. It’s even worse for small towns because they can’t provide the services that larger agencies like the sheriff’s office can.

Several viewers expressed satisfaction with the reporting and professionalism of state and county law enforcement, saying there would be sufficient help between deputies, state police and border patrol in the event of an emergency.

The speakers agreed that it would also be more cost-effective for the city to close the department.

Washburn is lucky because it is located between Presque Isle and Caribou, said Sheriff Peter Johnson.

“When we cover this zone, our main office for paperwork is in Caribou,” he said. “And when the state police cover this area, one of the offices they use in this zone is in Presque Isle.”

State police and sheriff’s deputies divide Aroostook County into four zones and take turns covering them each month, Johnson and Maine State Police Sergeant Ryan Kilcollins said after the meeting.

Zone 1 covers northern New Sweden, Zone 2 extends from Van Buren to Bridgewater, Zone 3 extends from Monticello to Weston, and Zone 4 covers the rest of the southern Aroostook, including Smyrna and Sherman.

Squad F has about 14 patrol officers, Kilcollins said, while Johnson has 16 deputies and expects there to be 18 by July.

There have been an average of about two to three calls per day from the Washburn area, Johnson said.

Turner urged residents to vote on June 11. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Washburn Municipal Building on Main Street.