FARMINGTON – The Farmington Police Department held the attention of the Board of Selectmen for much of the meeting last night, as the meeting opened with an approval of the Department to accept a series of grants and ended with the discussion of Police Chief Jack Peck’s upcoming retirement.
Peck will be leaving the Farmington Department to take the position of Assistant Director at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Peck’s final day will be on Nov. 12.
“That will be 31 years for him, to the day, that he was working for the town of Farmington. I’m very happy for him, but it’s a loss for the town for sure,” said Town Manager Richard Davis.
Davis said that Deputy Chief Shane Cote had been appointed interim chief. The next steps for the town include appointing a committee to choose a new police chief. Selectmen spoke in favor of having the committee include a combination of citizens and those with a background in police work. They discussed having John Rogers, a former director of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, as well as Selectman Matthew Smith to serve on the committee.
“John Rogers would be a great one, with his background both locally and his academy perspective,” said selectmen Stephan Bunker.
Fellow selectmen Michael Fogg voiced an interest in serving on the committee as well, but only if there is room while reserving spaces for citizens and those with academy backgrounds. The board is aiming to keep the committee between 5 and 7 members and are asking any citizens interested in serving on the committee to contact the board directly.
In other, police-related business, Cote asked for the board’s approval for grants: one to cover costs associated with the K9 program, another from Homeland Security to purchase new weapons and adapters, and a final grant to install more cameras in the downtown area. The cameras previously installed have proven to be successful, but the department is looking to expand surveillance further.
“We want to get more coverage because there have been some other issues in the downtown that we haven’t been able to get good camera angles on,” said Cote. The new cameras would be placed along Front Street, Broadway and near Hippach Park.
All three grants were unanimously approved by the board.
Outside of news pertaining to the Police Department, the board also approved a 2 percent wage and salary increase for non-union employees for the coming year. Davis also previewed the upcoming construction project slated to begin next summer and take place over the span of two phases. Both phases will involve the installation of decorative lights in the areas between Broadway and Academy Street as well as from Perham to Middle Street. The improvements outlined in the project also include the addition of a bus lane outside Dearborn Gymnasium, improving parking and installing speed tables.
