LIVERMORE FALLS — Police department staffing remains a pressing concern as officers continue to handle a steady volume of calls, Chief Abe Haroon told the Select Board on Sept. 2.
So far this year, the department has filed 324 reports, including 110 arrests, 167 offense reports and 46 accident reports.
“It seems like this year we have more traffic accidents than last year and I don’t have a reason for that,” Haroon said.
He said he hopes to hire two new officers by December, with plans to send them to Phase 2 academy training in January, and also fill a full-time sergeant position. Training in firearms and taser use is scheduled this fall.
The department has six full-time officers, according to its website.
The department is retiring its old car 2, which will be auctioned, while another cruiser is undergoing repairs after a window was kicked out from the inside. Haroon later provided additional details, noting the decommissioned vehicle was a 2018 Ford Police Interceptor, manufactured in December of that year. Over its service life, it accumulated nearly 130,000 miles and about 17,500 engine hours.
Placed into service for nearly 2,435 days, the vehicle averaged more than seven hours of use per day, equal to a 49-hour workweek. Because of the significant idle time police vehicles have, Haroon explained they are evaluated more by engine hours than mileage.
To reduce idle time and improve efficiency, the department has begun transitioning to hybrid vehicles. In the summer, Haroon said, hybrids typically idle on engine power for only about 20 minutes per hour, with the remaining 40 minutes powered by battery, a measure that saves fuel and reduces wear on gasoline engines.
Haroon also unveiled a redesigned patch featuring the town’s bridge, clock tower, rolling hills and the year 1844, when East Livermore was incorporated. The Select Board approved the change and confirmed the town, not the adjacent bank building, owns the clock tower.
Also at the meeting, the board accepted three binders of records donated by resident Ron Chadwick. The materials relate to the town’s sewer, water and fire departments and include some notebooks dating back to 1897, before the incorporation of Livermore Falls in 1929.
