With an eye on a rise in drug-related crime, Town Councilor Shonn Moulton wants a Gorham police officer assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
But Moulton tabled his request at the town council meeting Tuesday. A representative from the agency was unavailable to make a presentation because of the national day of mourning for President Ford. The issue is likely to come up at next month’s meeting.
Moulton hopes Gorham would assign an officer to the agency to help combat the increase in drug-related crimes. He cited as an example the two knifepoint robberies of a convenience store-gas last week.
“Gorham got hit twice in a week at Big Apple,” Moulton said. “Most robberies are drug related.”
Under Moulton’s proposal, the town would hire one additional police officer, allowing a current member of the force to be assigned to drug agency for two years.
“I can’t take someone out of patrol without filling the position,” said Gorham Police Chief Ron Shepard.
Moulton said a Gorham officer would receive advanced training by the agency, which would be a benefit to the town. He said an officer assigned to the agency would investigate robberies like those at the Big Apple, freeing Gorham detectives for other assignments.
If Gorham does follow through, Moulton said, Gorham would be eligible to share in forfeitures in arrests of drug crimes. He said the Windham Police Department averages about $40,000 a year in money from seizures.
Moulton said the added revenue couldn’t be used to reduce a municipal police budget, but would help budgets from increasing. He said the money could be spent on items such as cruisers.
Moulton said wages for a new, Gorham replacement officer for the fiscal year beginning July 1 would be $38,000, plus $20,000 in benefits. The town also would continue paying the officer assigned to the drug agency.
Moulton’s proposal would have sent the matter to the council’s finance committee for review and a recommendation.
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