The assessors will be observing the LPD
for most of the week.
LEWISTON – Sometimes, a low turnout at a public meeting can be a good thing. Especially for a police department that has invited local residents to publicly air their gripes.
At a meeting at Lewiston City Hall Monday night, only one resident went to the podium to complain about local police.
“I think the police just need to make themselves more visible,” said 63-year-old Ronald James.
Otherwise, a team of law enforcement assessors said they received nearly three dozen phone calls Monday from residents who wanted to praise the local police force.
By the end of the meeting Monday night, Lewiston police were one step closer to retaining the nationally accredited status they attained in 1995.
Three high-ranking cops from around the country came to Lewiston over the weekend to assess the local police force. The trio will be here most of the week to examine all aspects of the police department’s policies and procedures.
They will review written material, interview individuals, visit offices and other areas within the department where compliance with the standards may be observed.
Part of the on-site assessment includes the public information session held Monday night and announced last week. James and two others from the community showed up at the meeting, although James was the only one to speak.
His comments to assessors focused on his wish to see a heavier police presence – both on the streets and in the police station where people can easily see and approach them.
“An invisible cop doesn’t help anything,” James said.
Those who couldn’t make the meeting were invited to call the assessors at a local number to make comments about the police force. Between 1 and 5 p.m. Monday, 30 people called.
“All the phone calls were very positive,” said Andrew Scott, chief of the Boca Raton Police Department in Florida and one of the assessors.
Also at the meeting Monday, director of the 911 Communications Center Andrew D’Eramo and Auburn Deputy Police Chief Phil Crowell spoke on behalf of Lewiston police.
Crowell emphasized the Lewiston Police Department’s coordination of the Jan. 11 rally during which a nationally known hate group came to speak in this city. No one was hurt during the simultaneous demonstration and only one person was arrested.
“We really saw the leadership and skills that are present here at that time,” Crowell said.
It will be the third time since 1995 that the Lewiston Police Department has been reviewed by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, according to Lewiston Chief Bill Welch.
“A good rating means our policies and standards are among the best in the country,” he said.
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