Staff Writer

 Proposed cuts to the Old Orchard Beach police reserve officer budget “definitely” will impact the department’s ability to protect residents and visitors, according to police.

Police Chief Dana Kelley said the town has made “great strides” in improving its reputation but fears the image of a family-friendly town could be compromised if the town encounters more problems because of fewer reserve officers on patrol.

The town council has proposed reducing Kelley’s request for $193,000 in the reserve officer account to $155,000. Town Manager Jack Turcotte first proposed the cut in his budget presented to councilors at the start of the budget process. Kelley said the initial request of $193,000 was $26,000 less than the department received in the current fiscal year.

Residents and business owners urged town councilors to reconsider the proposed cuts during a May 4 council meeting. Police officials said this week they have concerns about reducing police presence at a time when more visitors are coming to town for vacation and major events at The Ballpark.

Kelley said the department generally hires 40 reserve officers, easily recognized by their yellow uniform shirts. The proposed budget cut will reduce the number of officers the department can hire and decrease the number of shifts covered, he said. Kelley said 10 to 12 reserve officers have agreed to work fewer than 40 hours, which gives him more flexibility to cover shifts. He will employ about 10 fewer reserve officers than last year.

Patrol Lt. Tim DeLuca, who is in charge of scheduling reserve officers, said the reserve budget is broken down into four components: training, preseason from May to June, regular summer season from July 1 to Labor Day, and post-season from Labor to Columbus Day.

During the regular summer season, 40 officers each have worked 40 hours per week to cover 1,800 shifts. The proposed reduction to about 30 reserve officers could reduce the number of shifts by 600 or more, DeLuca said.

“I think it’s going to have an impact. We don’t know what the exact impact will be,” he said.

DeLuca said a reduction in the police reserve force likely will mean officers cannot spend as much time with neighborhood watch groups, community policing and greeting visitors. Patrols will be shifted to key downtown areas instead of being spread throughout the community, he said.

“When you’re working with a minimum staff, your resources get pulled in different directions,” he said. “The visibility (of officers) will definitely be reduced as a result of the reduction in man hours.”

Maintaining a visible presence in town is an important part of the reserve officer position, DeLuca said. Officers interact with business owners, tourists and residents and are a resource for those people. They also assist with traffic control, alcohol compliance tests, crowd control and are a “proactive” presence when bars close for the night and patrons spill out into the streets, he said.

“We’ll do whatever we can to fulfill the needs of the town given what we have. The problem is when we have limited resources it’s difficult to meet the need, have an impact and make a difference,” DeLuca said.

Kelley said the town’s tradition of bringing in special summer officers dates to the beginning of the department. They play an important role in maintaining the safety of a town that sees a huge population swell during summer, he said.

“It seems like a small price to pay for some assurance we’ll be able to do what we do,” he said.

 Turcotte said his primary reason for proposing a reduction to the reserve officer budget was to avoid laying off officers shortly after they committed to spending the summer in Old Orchard Beach. It seemed “unfair” to hire people depending on the experience to advance their careers only to lay them off weeks later, he said.

“It’s not a very comfortable situation, but what was even worse was hiring these people and then telling them they don’t have a job,” he said.

Turcotte said he understands why residents and police are concerned about the proposed reduction, but said the department can use “creative” scheduling and should look for ways to use people most effectively. 

Town Council Chairman Sharri MacDonald said the town faces a revenue loss of 26 percent, or $1.6 million, from the state. She said she was glad residents filled council chambers May 4 to express concerns but said they need to understand the town is facing a revenue loss.

“We’re going to have to make that up in tax dollars just to keep the budget flat,” she said. “The council is going through the entire budget to figure out what we’re doing. No one is losing their job at the police department. None of the 19 full-time officers are losing their jobs, we haven’t let anyone go on staff here. The reduction in the reserves is something probably not everyone likes. We wish we had a ton of money.”

Councilor Robin Dayton said she urged other councilors to reinstate money to the reserve account because public safety is most important. She said extra money from this year in several accounts could be used to make up the difference, including more than $398,000 in surplus from Regional School Unit 23.

“Two weeks ago we spent $25,000 of that $398,000 without a blink of an eye, without one single blink of an eye. No conversation, no petition, no arguments, no upsets. We didn’t have a problem doing that,” she said. “We have (the money). We’re not so poor we can’t afford $40,000 for our full complement of summer reserve officers. This is not something we need to forgo and it’s not something we should forgo.”

Dayton said 80,000 people come to the beach each summer and, like residents, deserve to be protected while they are here.

“It’s a miniscule percentage” of the total budget, she said. “It’s a disgrace. One of our primary functions as a municipal government is to provide safety. Primary function – it’s a necessary element.”

 More than 40 people packed council chambers for the meeting and more than a dozen residents spoke during the “good and welfare” portion of the meeting. There was no agenda item related to the proposed cut.

Helene Whittaker of Ocean Park said Old Orchard Beach is now considered a “family-friendly” town but police still must deal regularly with crime.

“We are not a small town during May, June, July and August. This council expects the police department to take care of business with a limited number of officers. Let’s be realistic,” she said. “To see all the good police work we have accomplished fall through the cracks because of a budget constraint is an injustice to our community.”

Corporal Jeffery Regan, president of the Old Orchard Beach Patrolman’s Association, said members of the department have concerns about the proposed cuts. He said in the summer Old Orchard Beach turns from a small town to a big city “that brings with it big city problems.”

“It is well known when economies suffer, crime rates soar. Now is not the time to be cutting personnel that provide essential services, especially those that have direct impact on public safety.”

Regan  said    police resource s increasingly are stretched to protect visitors and residents.
  “We have reached a critical point. We are saying to you we can’t be stretched any more and still provide for the people of this town should the cuts come to fruition. We have more places and people to protect and less officers to provide that protection.”

Resident Gary Curtis said sometimes the fiscally responsible thing to do is spend money.

“I don’t believe it makes fiscal sense right now to cut the police presence that we have enjoyed and has kept crime down in the summers in our beautiful town,” he said.

Bud Harmon, executive director of the chamber of commerce, said there is an “ever-growing concern” among business owners that proper public safety measures will not be in place this summer. He said “limited police visibility” downtown could damage the town’s reputation if incidents lead to more crime.

Tom Roach, a retired police sergeant who now provides security on The Pier, said public safety should be a top priority for town leaders.

“I fully, fully, fully support the yellow shirts. They are a godsend when you’re dragging someone who is fighting and kicking off The Pier,” he said. “I want to know I’m going to have someone to watch my back when somebody from Portland or somebody from Waterville decides to come to Old Orchard Beach to have fun and tear up the place.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.