DIXFIELD – The merger of the Dixfield, Mexico and Rumford police departments might happen in the near future, according to a discussion of chiefs, town managers, selectmen and other officials Tuesday night.
The group discussed the costs, potential problems and advantages, public perception, and other aspects of such a joint effort at the monthly regionalization meeting at Dirigo High School.
Research presented by Mexico Town Manager John Madigan showed that its costs the three towns a total of nearly $1.8 million annually for police operations and involves more than two dozen officers and chiefs.
According to one study, Madigan said, one officer per 1,000 population is the standard. The population of the three towns is about 12,000.
“We won’t solve it this year, but we’ll try to solve it in a year’s time,” Rumford Town Manager Steve Eldridge said.
Chief Deputy Jim Davis of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office said that although there may be some political resistance, the area is ripe for such a merger.
“If you can do it anywhere, it can be done here,” he said.
Before the next meeting at 6 p.m. May 17 at the Rumford Municipal Building, Chiefs Tim Bourassa of Rumford, Jim Theriault of Mexico and Richard Pickett of Dixfield, and Eldridge, Madigan and Dixfield Town Manager Nanci Allard, plan to work out patrol miles, geography, response times, existing equipment and staffing, union considerations, school needs and other topics related to police coverage in the three towns.
“We need to do a needs assessment, then look at the cost,” Eldridge said.
Davis will also compile the numbers of emergency calls made to the Oxford County Regional Communications Center in Paris from each of the towns.
One thing all three chiefs agreed on was that their towns want 24/7 coverage.
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