Commissioners back COPS grant application but local funds questionable

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin has had first-hand experience with the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, funded primarily by the federal government.
    “I was hired under a COPS grant in 1970,” he told the county commissioners last week. “Now look what you’re stuck with,” he joked.
    Goggin, Chief Deputy Bob Young and Lt. Jamie Kane attended last week’s meeting to ask for authorization to apply for a COPS grant this year for an additional deputy to patrol the Monson-Greenville area starting Jan. 1.

    The federal government pays 75 percent of the officer’s wages and benefits for the first three years and the county would have to pick up the entire tab for at least 12 months afterwards.
    Young told the commissioners that the sheriff’s department hired an officer through the program in the 1990s but eventually lost the position through budget cuts. “Two years ago, we applied for a grant and didn’t get it – but we were close,” Young said.
    The deadline for the newest grant application is May 30; and Young asked the commissioners for permission to apply for the funding, conceding that they have to make another decision on whether or not to accept it.
    The chief deputy outlined several reasons for the need of an additional deputy, but said one of the key points was that the Route 15 corridor from Monson north to the Canadian border and the Lily Bay Road to Kokadjo “is designated as a ‘risk area’ by the Department of Homeland Security. So I think that would come into play during the application process.”
    Goggin said that the Monson-Greenville area “is our weakest spot for coverage” and the additional deputy — who would be required to live in the area — would be able to assist the Greenville Police Department when needed.
    The sheriff also added that if the economic conditions in the county “don’t improve in the next few years you’re going to see more than one of these small municipal police departments cave in.” Goggin said that his department is already getting inquiries about getting additional coverage from his department. “If we don’t plan in advance for these eventualities, we’re going to be caught shorthanded,” he added.
    Commissioners Eric Ward and Fred Trask said that while they supported the concept, they were concerned about the overall cost, not just the 25 percent local match for three years. “In addition to his (the new deputy’s) pay, the county has to provide a vehicle, a firearm, uniforms and training,” Trask said.
    Goggin said that for the time being, the new hire could use one of the two spare cruisers in the department, but conceded that a new vehicle would probably be needed during the contract period.
    Ward said that he would hate to see the department apply for the grant, have the commissioners approve the funding and then have “the budget committee axe it. I don’t like to see people put in a lot of effort and not see the outcome they want.”
    Chairman Jim Annis said he understands the urgency of the request due to the deadline. “If the grant is successful, I don’t see a problem except for that fourth year,” Annis said.
    Ward said that if the COPS funding is approved along with an anticipated $80,000 upgrade for the communications center (see separate story), “Something else may have to be eliminated from the new budget.”
    Eventually, the commissioners voted 3-0 to authorize the department to apply for the grant, but made no promises on future funding.