SABATTUS — The town is losing yet another police chief and a plan is in the works to join forces with Lisbon police.

Police Chief David Lyons, hired in late 2025, announced his resignation at a town meeting Tuesday night. The chief said he will stay on an additional 90 days while town officials scramble to keep their police force afloat.

Lyons did not mince words when he stood to speak at town hall.

“The department,” he said, “is falling apart.”

The problems are many, Lyons said, but in particular, the department does not attract qualified police officers. The result is the hiring of inexperienced officers, many of whom move to bigger departments soon after they are hired.

Lyons said he was told by another police chief, “Sabattus is the place to go when nobody else will hire you.”

Lyons was hired at the end of 2025 after the town went through a revolving door of police chiefs. Five full-time chiefs over five years. Ultimately, the town was forced to bring in temporary police chiefs to keep the department running.

In December, Lyons told the Sun Journal that he had big plans for the Sabattus Police Department. But he found soon enough there are just too many problems for any one man to fix.

“Had I known what I was getting into, I wouldn’t have applied for the job,” he said.

“I’ve worked my head off,” the chief said. “I’ve got headaches, but I’m up for the game. I’ve taken over other police departments and we were very successful. But the circumstances that exist here, now, are untenable.”

Lyons expressed praise for Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day, who took on that position last summer.

“Raquel Welch is the only reason I’ve stayed as long as I have,” Lyons said. “Raquel Welch is the one who is keeping this place together in my opinion.”

In the past, the town has twice considered plans to have the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, headquartered in Auburn, take over coverage. The plans were voted down both times.

Now, town officials are considering a proposal from their counterparts in Lisbon. The plan would combine police forces from both towns.

During the Lisbon Town Council meeting Tuesday, interim Town Manager Jim Bennett informed councilors of Sabattus’ request to combine its department with Lisbon’s.

Bennett and Lisbon Chief Ryan McGee met Monday with Sabattus Select Board Chair Laura Clifford and Welch-Day.

In that initial discussion, Sabattas officials agreed that Lisbon Police Department would remain operated by the town of Lisbon and any extra direct costs associated with adding staffing to the department would be paid for by Sabattus, along with a reasonable share of all overhead and administrative costs, Bennett said.

Lisbon councilors will decide in future discussion what they would like to propose in a possible contract with Sabattus.

The discussion comes amid steep property tax increases for Lisbon residents and Bennett said this could be a chance to shift some police department costs off Lisbon taxpayers without losing services.

Lisbon Town Councilor Greg Garnett said he could support contracting police services out to Sabattus but wanted to make sure Sabattus is going to pay for it, he said.

Next steps in this process, which in an email Wednesday Bennett called only an inquiry at this point, would be to give Welch-Day information with basic framework and financial information about what Lisbon would need in order to enter into an agreement.

In Sabattus, the matter will ultimately have to be decided by the voters. Town officials said a special town meeting will be held as soon as possible for a discussion of the matter, with representatives from Lisbon and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office in attendance.

Tentative plans were made for a special meeting in April, though no date has been set.

Lyons said he plans to see the matter through before stepping down for good. At the Tuesday night meeting, he expressed some regret about his decision, mainly because he has become fond of his co-workers and the community.

“It breaks my heart,” Lyons said. “The people in this place have grown on me.”