WASHINGTON COUNTY, Maine — The decision by Maine State Police to cut its patrols of Washington County is leaving communities in the area with vastly different law enforcement services.
A new agreement reaffirms Maine State Police’s role in responding to major crimes and fatal traffic crashes while leaving patrol duties in the hands of Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis, who said his department is ill-equipped to take on the task.
“They’re putting a big burden on us,” Curtis said Wednesday.
He claims even the responsibility for responding has mostly been handled by his deputies.
“They’re not answering anything. They said they’ll answer anything that’s called to them. It's not called to them. It's called into my communications center,” he said.
A sheriff’s department stretched thin is creating an unequal landscape when it comes to police presence in Washington County. In Machias, the county seat which has its own department, not much has changed since trooper patrols ended.
“It really doesn’t affect us. It doesn’t affect us from a tax standpoint," Town Manager Bill Kitchen said. "It doesn’t affect us from a public safety standpoint. We’ve never relied upon the state police."
But in nearby Machiasport, things are a world apart. Marcia Hayward is the town clerk and says she sees days go by without a squad car in town, a worrying fact that goes beyond her small town.
“Municipalities without their departments are the ones that are going to suffer with a lack of coverage,” Hayward said on Wednesday.
But Maine State Police insists the issue is more complicated.
"We, as state police, have to look at things with a statewide impact. And we have to have the ability to respond to emergent situations statewide,” Maj. Lucas Hare with the Maine State Police said.
Hare emphasized that the patrol agreement with Washington County was signed by the sheriff and insists the patrol switch is far from Maine State Police pulling back its services to Washington County.