LEWISTON — Expect to see police getting more involved in the community, according to newly sworn in police Chief Michael Bussiere.
“We already have the best department in the state, so my job is going to be to keep it that way,” Bussiere told a room full of well-wishers Friday morning in Lewiston City Hall.
But Bussiere said he does plan to reorganize his staff, creating four community resource officer positions to specialize in working with Lewiston’s residents.
“They’d work directly with the community, doing some outreach or meeting with community action groups,” Bussiere said. “I think we’ve lost focus on that a little bit lately, and it’s time we get that back.”
Bussiere was sworn in as chief, replacing William Welch, who resigned in May. It’s the culmination of a 19-year public safety career spent entirely in Lewiston. He joined the department in 1990, becoming a detective in 1997, a sergeant a year later and deputy chief in 2002.
Finding someone to fill that job will be his first order of business.
“We already have the lieutenants in place, but we need get someone in that deputy chief’s job,” he said. “That’s the No. 2 man in the organization, and he handles the day-to-day operation, so it’s very important.”
Bussiere said he needed to confer with the acting city administrator to find out how quickly he could name a deputy, but said he hoped to have the job filled within a few months.
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