MEXICO — James Theriault, the former town police chief, is making a case to reestablish the local department and explaining why he thinks voters should do so.
On Thursday, the town mailed surveys to more than 2,000 registered taxpayers asking them to weigh-in on future police coverage. The surveys are due at the Town Office by Feb. 14.

Mexico Administrative Assistant Jim Theriault speaks to selectmen Nov. 19, 2024. The former veteran police chief said this week that he supports reestablishing the police department, which suspended operations in August 2024 for lack of officers. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times file
Town leaders have been working toward having local coverage again, after the department suspended operations in August 2024 due to lack of officers.
Theriault, who was hired as administrative assistant to look at the feasibility of the move, strongly supports the effort and said Sunday why he thinks townspeople should as well.
The Rumford resident, who spent 20 of his 43-year law enforcement career as Mexico’s police chief, said the final decision will be up to voters.
He said he’s making progress in planning for a fully-staffed department.
“I’ve identified five qualified people interested in serving our community, plus myself” he said, adding and he has passed the recertification test to be a police officer.
He said two of the individuals are local and three are “from away and are excited to bring their families to this wonderful town. I also have four to five reserve officers ready to support our department. We have to pause the final hiring steps” until the surveys are received, “but I am ready to move ahead quickly if that’s what citizens choose.”
Town officials have put forward the following options and the estimated cost for each.
Option 1: Continue with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, which the town pays for through its annual county assessment.
“The Sheriff’s Office does their best but currently has only three to four deputies per shift covering the entire county,” Theriault said. “While they respond when able, they aren’t able to maintain regular patrols in Mexico, especially overnight. There’s no direct cost, but coverage is limited and response times can be poor depending on where deputies are located when calls come in.”
Options 2: Contract with the Sheriff’s Office for 18-hour coverage from 6 a.m. to midnight for $480,544 per year.
Option 3: Contract with the Sheriff’s Office for 24-hour coverage from 6 a.m. to midnight and on-call only from midnight to 6 a.m. for $630,795.
“These are first-year costs, Theriault said. “I’m sure it will go up next year, as will the others.”
In other towns that have taken this path, for example Bethel and Dixfield, Theriault said the Sheriff’s Office took possession of all town police equipment, including cruisers, firearms, computers and other gear, which Mexico taxpayers have already paid for.
“So while the contract options show a lower yearly cost, they don’t reflect the full financial impact of giving up our existing resources,” Theriault said. “If Mexico wanted to restart the department later, we’d be starting completely from scratch, adding substantial costs beyond the regular startup expenses. To the best of my knowledge, Bethel was assured 24-hour protection but the Sheriff’s Office has not been able to provide it consistently because of short staffing. In all likelihood, it would be the same for Mexico.”
Further, Theriault said he has talked to Sheriff Christopher Wainwright and Chief Deputy James Urquhart who advised him they did not want the long-term coverage for Mexico because they are short-staffed, as is everyone else in the county.
The case for reestablishing the department
Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day said the estimated cost to reestablish the department is $945,920 per year.
Theriault said town officials say “this would average approximately $300 per year per taxpayer.”
He listed what the town has in place and the plan to rebuild:
• The town owns all its equipment and vehicles, which they would keep.
• The town has a federal COPS Grant available for a school resource officer and there is someone interested in the position.
• The town has mutual aid agreements with Rumford, the Sheriff’s Office and state police.
• The town will cover six full-time positions to ensure 24-hour coverage.
Theriault said one of the six positions includes a detective, a position voters approved last year but was never filled.
“Having our own detective means when something happens in town, whether it’s a break-in, theft, or any serious crime, we have someone dedicated to following up, gathering evidence and solving these cases,” Theriault said. “Without a detective, many of these cases might go cold simply because officers are too busy handling daily emergency calls to do the detailed investigative work.”
He said, “I’ve seen firsthand how having someone who can focus on solving crimes against the person, crimes against children and crimes against the elderly and who knows our community and can build trust with victims and witnesses, makes a real difference in making sure criminals are caught and our residents get justice.”
Welch-Day said the survey results will provide direction to the Select Board as they develop the 2025-26 municipal budget.
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