PARIS – Brown and blue uniforms in Oxford County just got a little more interchangeable.

On Wednesday, Oxford County Sheriff Lloyd “Skip” Herrick re-signed a mutual-aid agreement with the state police. The pact includes several provisions which will make it easier for the two departments to work together.

“Primarily, it gets the job done,” said Col. Craig A. Poulin, chief of the Maine State Police. “We didn’t have all we needed to get the job done. We do this within the confines of public finances.”

State police operations Maj. Timothy Doyle and Lt. Kevin Conger of the state police along with Lt. Chris Wainwright of the Sheriff’s Office were present for the signing.

The state police will cover all fatal accidents in the county. Herrick said this has been in practice during the past few years, but this is the first time it has been put in writing.

“We’re a small agency,” Herrick said, “and fatals are time-consuming.”

The new agreement also emphasizes information sharing.

“It is agreed that each agency will advise the other of all operations,” Herrick said.

The original agreement was signed in 1998. It broke the county into four zones. Instead of being assigned the entire county, each agency would be assigned to two zones. This increased efficiency because it cut back on travel time, Herrick said.

Cooperation between the two agencies is necessary, Herrick said, because of Oxford County’s 39 towns, only seven have their own police departments.

Several surrounding counties have similar agreements.