Police Department Update

Members of the Sanford Police Department met with the City Council’s Public Safety Subcommittee on September 14 to give an update on the Department’s recent activities.

Detective Allen Commended: Chief Craig Andersen recognized Detective Everett Allen for an event that occurred on August 20. Detective Allen and Fire Chief Steve Benotti were travelling through Berwick when they saw a man signaling for help. The man was in cardiac arrest and they performed CPR until an ambulance could arrive.

Systems: Chief Andersen said the Police Department’s new online reporting system is still in beta testing and they are working out the kinks with the software, but it should be online soon. Assistant Chief Tim Strout reported that the Department’s new Power DMS system will be going live shortly. This system will help the Department become fully accredited, and help more quickly retrieve paperwork, both of which save the City money.

Speed Enforcement: Lieutenant Matt Gagne spoke about the traffic enforcement initiative over the summer. The Department got two grants, one for speed enforcement and one for distracted driving. They used the grant money to pay for about a hundred hours of speed enforcement beginning in June. They made 168 motor vehicle stops and issued 93 citations for speed, as well as 67 warnings. The purpose of the initiative was to try to reduce crash statistics in the City, so they will be looking at the numbers to gauge its success. Lt. Gagne and Asst. Chief Strout will continue applying for grants to fund traffic enforcement.

Elder Services: Assistant Chief Eric Small spoke about the activities of the City’s Elder Services Officer, Chris Brown. Officer Brown did a “Coffee with Cops” at The Maples on Monday, speaking to 14 tenants to educate them on topics including senior scams and internet safety. He will be doing these talks at Village View and Sunset Tower in the next month or two.

Community Resources: Detective Colleen Adams spoke about her work with the City’s homeless and addicted residents. She said there were 14 overdoses in the previous 30 days, of which two did not survive and three went into recovery. Sanford currently has approximately 29 people who are experiencing homelessness. She said six of those are waiting for beds to open up in shelters. She and the OPTIONS clinician are working with the others to get them into recovery as soon as they are ready. It was noted that the numbers of homeless residents this summer were considerably lower than last year, when there were about 50 in Sanford/Springvale.

Citizen Advisory Group: Chief Andersen said the Citizen Advisory Group would be meeting this week to craft a mission statement and prioritize what they want to accomplish.

Crime: Lt. Gagne spoke briefly about three noteworthy cases the Department has been working on over the past month. They partnered with the US Secret Service for an operation on Deering Neighborhood Rd. on a financial crimes case. They worked with the US Marshal Service’s Sex Offender Tax Force to put together an initiative to go door-to-door to check whether registered sex offenders are complying with all the requirements. They also made an arrest related to the recent spate of counterfeit $20 bills that have been showing up locally. About 15 cases were pulled together and a female suspect was charged.

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