To: Town Council

April 28, 2008

Citizens of Houlton as is customary, I want to thank all of the department's full-time and auxiliary staff for a job well done in my first year as Houlton's police chief. The officers and dispatchers of this department exhibit a high degree of professionalism and integrity in the performance of their duties for the citizens of this community. I want to extend a special thanks to Lt. Daniel Pelletier for the fine job he did as the community's interim police chief. Secondly, I would like to thank the town council, town manager, department heads, and all other municipal employees for their teamwork, cooperation, and support

A great deal was accomplished during my first year as your police chief. Probably the most significant achievement was selecting officers Eric Crouse and Troy Fitzpatrick from the ranks and promoting them to sergeant. Sgt. Crouse is a four year veteran of the department. Among his duties, Sgt. Crouse is a certified Taser instructor and Field Training Officer. Sgt. Fitzpatrick is a three year veteran of the department. Sgt. Fitzpatrick is a certified firearms instructor and a Field Training Officer. At one time prior to their promotion, both officers served the community as a detective. Secondly, Officer Carolyn Crandall was promoted to detective in January of this year. Detective Crandall is an eighteen year veteran of the department. Detective Crandall started with the police department as a dispatcher and eventually was hired as a patrol officer. Det. Crandall is a certified Taser instructor and is quite active with the Maine Special Olympics. Officer Jared Sylvia completed the strenuous 18-week police academy in May of 2007. By being the most recent graduate. Officer Sylvia represents one of the best trained officers the Houlton Police Department has. Officer Erica Cheevers-Pelletier was hired by the police department in October of 2007 and is currently attending the police academy. A native of northern Aroostook County, Erica's past experience includes being a police officer for the town of Kennebunkport.

At the request of the officers, the graphics on the new cruiser have been improved to reflect a more metropolitan look. The officers were asked to come up with a contemporary color scheme and design that they all could agree on. While other members of the department provided some suggestions, the new design is the creation of Officer Ezekiel Collins.

Officer Stephen Nason is the department's new D.A.R.E. Officer. Officer Nason is a three year veteran of the department and has done a remarkable job with the program. Adding his own individual flavor to the program, each day Officer Nason issued a one-dollar coin to one student who excelled in the classroom. In a show of support, members of the U.S. Border Patrol, the Aroostook Sheriffs Office and the Houlton Police Department attended the D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony. Officer Nason provided each D.A.R.E. graduate with a one-dollar coin at the ceremony. For the first time in June of 2008, the police department will be participating in Camp P.O.S.T.C.A.R.D. in Winthrop, Maine. At Camp P.O.S.T.C.A.R.D., police officers from all over Maine act as counselors and mentors to children from various regions of the state. It is our hope to have upwards of four children from Houlton participating in this program.

The "Serve and Protect - Fueling Dreams" promotion was held at the Irving Big Stop during the Memorial Day weekend. Houlton officers and members of their family joined forces to pump gas and wash windows for Irving Oil customers. For every gallon of gasoline sold that weekend, Irving Oil donated five cents to Special Olympics.

In response to neighborhood concerns, the department continues to place high emphasis on speed enforcement on many of the residential streets and thoroughfares in town. Significant enforcement resources are dedicated to the major and minor collector roads throughout Houlton Two hundred and fifty seven summonses and one hundred and seventy-five warnings were issued for speeding in 2007.

A total of 1,898 vehicles were stopped for motor vehicle violations in 2005.

Speed enforcement data for Houlton:

" 91% of the drivers stopped for speeding were from Maine
" The average MPH over the limit is 15
" 66% of the drivers stopped were male
" 17% of the drivers stopped were 55 years of age or older
" 43% of the drivers stopped were between the ages of 36 and 55
" 20% of the drivers stopped were between the ages of 26-35
" 10% of the drivers stopped were between the ages of 22-25
" 10% of the drivers stopped were 21 years of age or younger
" 1% of the drivers cited had Commercial Drivers Licenses
" 35% of the violations occurred between 12:00 pm-6:00 pm
" 14% of the violations occurred between 6:00 pm-12:00 am
" 9% of the violations occurred between 12:00 am-6:00 am
" 42% of the violations occurred between 6:00 am-12:00 pm

In an effort to discourage underage drinking, the department has developed a program titled PaCT, which stands for Police and Community Together. Any parent or guardian, who is going to be away from the home overnight or for an extended period of time and an adolescent between the ages of 15-19 is staying alone at the residence, can request the police to make periodic patrol checks on the property. The purpose of the checks is to insure underage drinking is not occurring at the residence in your absence. For more information about PaCT, please contact the police department.

To protect our growing elderly population, in September the police department will be starting a new program to the area called Triad. With the support of the police department, AARP, and other community services groups, Triad works to keep older Mainers informed of their rights. A major purpose of Triad is to develop, expand and implement effective crime prevention and safety programs for senior citizens. Established nationally in 1988, Triad works at the local level to improve the quality of life for seniors by providing an active exchange of information between local law enforcement and seniors.

Members of the department encourage all citizens to become involved in crime prevention and community issues. You can assist us by reporting crime or suspicious activity to the department by calling 532-2287 or 532-1322. In the event of an emergency, please dial 9-1-1. If you have information pertaining to criminal activity but wish to remain anonymous, please call the Tip line at 694-3545.

Respectfully submitted,

Butch Asselin Chief of Police