By Mark LaFlamme,Staff Writer

TURNER – Tucked above a visor inside his police cruiser, sheriff’s Deputy Craig MacMillan keeps a copy of a letter written to the Sun Journal. The letter is from a woman who complains that driving on Route 4 terrifies her. It terrifies her because people drive along the busy corridor at high speeds and with overt recklessness, and crashes there tend to be deadly.

Note to the letter writer: Someone is listening.

MacMillan and Randy Williams, deputies with the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department, dedicated as much time as possible last month to cracking down on speeders along Route 4.

“This is for her,” MacMillan said, holding the letter from the newspaper. “It’s for her and others like her.”

In January, they set their sights on making 100 traffic stops. Instead, they made 282 over a total of 11 days, and they charged drivers with a total of 311 violations.

For years, sheriff’s deputies and Maine State Police have been hearing about frightening driving habits along the commuter route between Auburn and points north. For years, both departments have initiated various efforts to slow drivers down.

“I hear about it from people on the streets,” MacMillan said. “I take that stuff seriously.”

The violations the pair issued summonses for last month resulted in fines of nearly $24,000. They issued 145 warnings and made three arrests as a result of the crackdown. Mostly, they handed out speeding tickets, which carry fines of between $137 to $263 each.

“It hits them in the wallet, and that’s what it takes sometimes,” MacMillan said. “Our goal is not to put the boots to Joe Citizen. The goal is the safety of Joe Citizen.”

In a recent state survey, Route 4 was deemed one of the most problematic areas in the state. On a 5-mile stretch of it, police found that there were 11 speed-related accidents with 16 injuries and one death over a two-year period.

State police have used a sports car to blend in with traffic and target people who speed. They use radar and aircraft when it’s available. Route 4 worries many people, drivers and cops alike.

“It’s the deadliest area I’ve ever covered,” said state Trooper Ricci Cote. “There are only a few of us out there and a whole lot of them. Those drivers need to realize that speed kills and they need to slow down.”

State police and the county sheriff’s department alternate coverage of some towns along Route 4 each month. For that reason, coordination between the departments is crucial.

“It has to be a joint effort,” Cote said. “We’ve always worked well with the ASO.”

MacMillan and Williams like to dedicate as much of their time to controlling traffic on Route 4 as possible. They still need to respond to other calls, and there are a lot of towns in Androscoggin County. When they are freed up, they are back with their eyes on Route 4 traffic.

Williams said the consistent presence of police cruisers in the area is often enough to bring speeds down. The deputies like it that way. They would rather not be forced to hand out tickets.

“This is not just two guys working on the problem,” MacMillan said. “This is a department effort.”

He tucks the letter from the newspaper back above his visor. It serves as a reminder of his mission and it’s always just an arms-length away.

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