Caribou Police Department
2008 Annual Report

2008 was another busy and productive year for everyone at the Caribou Police Department. The crime rate dropped almost 17% from 2007, which we credit to all of our officers hard work and dedication to their jobs and the City of Caribou.

The department said goodbye to two employees. Officer Loren Johnston who took a job with US Customs and Officer Christopher Bouchard who has taken a position with US Border Patrol. We wish both men the best of luck.

Caribou has also been fortunate to hire three full time Patrolman, Edward Dubie, Corey Saucier and Jay Trainer. Officer Dubie moved here from Limerick, Maine and has 10 years of experience. Officer Saucier is from Wallagrass, Maine and plans on attending the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) in January. Jay Trainer served as a Reserve Officer for our department and the Washburn Police Department and will be attending the BLETP in August. All three have been doing a great job. The department is now operating at full staff, something that hasn’t occurred in over 4 years.

Officer Jason Matheson attended and graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program in December. This is an 18-week training that all full time law enforcement officers are mandated to attend by State Statute.

The Prescription Drug Return Program continued to be successful in 2008. This program helped to remove unused medications from people’s homes. Anyone who needs to dispose of medication can drop it off at the police department or call and a police officer will pick it up. This program helps prevent crime and also protects the environment by properly disposing the unwanted medications. Remember, flushing is not a proper form of disposal.

The Caribou Police Department took part in a “Parents Who Host Lose The Most” campaign that kicked off in April of 2008. The campaign was designed to inform parents what the consequences are of allowing underage drinking. In conjunction with this campaign, the Caribou Police Department now offers the Parents and Communities Together (PaCT) Agreement. In an effort to curtail underage drinking among adolescent youth in the City of Caribou, the police department will conduct random patrol checks of property if requested by a parent or guardian. The service is offered to any parent or guardian who will be away from their residence for an extended period of time and a child between the ages of 15-19 is remaining at the home. An extended period of time is defined as being out-of-town overnight or longer.

Another prevention program, in conjunction with the Aroostook Chief’s of Police Association and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, is the Diversion Alert Program, which provides public information to medical providers and emergency room personnel of individuals that have been charged with drug diversion related crimes

The Caribou Police Department received over $16,000 in grant money from the Bureau of Highway Safety for use for enforcement details. We received $14,700 from the Maine Warden Service to assist them in ATV Enforcement. The department received a 2009 Polaris Ranger 6x6 as part of the US Smokeless Tobacco Grant valued at $11,500, the only one granted in Maine. This vehicle will be used to patrol the ATV Trails and assist the Caribou Fire & Ambulance and Caribou Rec Department when needed. The department also received an $18,000 two year grant from the Office of Substance Abuse to help combat the Underage Drinking problem in Aroostook County.

The utilization of the 2006 Harley Davidson Road King Police Motorcycle throughout the past year proved to be a continued benefit, especially since we have two officers trained to use the motorcycle. With the price of fuel in 2008, the bike patrol saved the City in both fuel and cruiser maintenance.

I would like to thank our Reserve Officers for another year of dedicated service. These officers provide security at local events and cover shifts when we are short. Thank you to Sgt. Dale Campbell, Ptl. Anthony Collins, Ptl. Darryl Hitchcock, Ptl. Philip McDonough, and Ptl. Neal Ouellette. New in 2008 were Ptl. Ryan Fitzpatrick who worked full time for our department between 2004 and 2006 and Ptl. Erik Jandreau.

In closing, I would like to thank the City Manager, members of the City Council, all City Employees, the Caribou Police Officers and their families and the citizens of Caribou for all of their help and support during 2008. It is your support that makes the difference.

Respecfully,

Michael W. Gahagan
Chief of Police