Two Maine police departments are taking an unorthodox approach in the fight against illicit drugs, giving traffickers the opportunity to eliminate their competition – by ratting them out.

The South Portland Police Department got things started when it posted a flier on its Facebook page at 2:07 p.m. Monday with an attention-grabbing headline encouraging drug dealers to snitch on their competitors. About an hour later, the Winslow Police Department followed suit.

The South Portland Police Department posted an advertisement for drug dealers to out their competition on Facebook.

The South Portland flier read: “Attention Drug Dealers. Is your competition costing you customers … and Money?!” The headline appears above a picture of seized illegal drugs, money, scales and a handgun.

“We’re here to help!” it continues, urging drug dealers to take advantage of the “free service” by filling out an online form that gives the names, addresses and cellphone numbers of their competitors, and asking them to provide their competition’s office hours, all anonymously. The fliers also ask where and to whom their rivals sell their product and who supplies them.

Dealers are asked to contact the “CBTD (Call Before They Do) Unit” of the South Portland and Winslow Police departments, and both departments give addresses and office phone numbers.

Lt. Frank Clark of the South Portland Police said the offer is real, though no one had taken advantage of the service as of Tuesday.

Clark, who has eight years experience working in drug enforcement, said there’s no telling what factors might motivate a drug dealer. But, he said, there’s no harm in trying.

“Could this prompt someone to call us with a tip? Yes, it could,” Clark said Tuesday. “Greed and personal gain is a common trait among drug traffickers.”

‘SOMEONE IS GOING TO FILL THAT OUT’

Clark said one of his drug officers came up with the idea after hearing about it from a police officer in another state.

“It’s lighthearted, but who knows, it could prove to be useful. We really don’t care what a drug dealer’s motivation is,” Clark said.

When asked if he had concerns that dealers might retaliate against informants, Clark said the chances of that happening are remote because the tips are strictly anonymous.

“There’s a level of protection built into this,” he said.

As of Tuesday evening, 333 people liked the South Portland flier and 164 liked Winslow’s Facebook post. “Someone is going to fill that out,” one commenter wrote on the South Portland page, while another asked, “Is this for real?” Most of the comments were positive. Commenters wrote, “Love this, Great Idea, and Brilliant.”

The Associated Press reported this month that the Charlton Police Department in Massachusetts made a tongue-in-cheek post on its Facebook page offering drug dealers the chance to provide information on their competitors. Charlton police said that while the post was meant to be entertaining, officers would pursue leads if one of its Facebook forms was filled out.

The flier was a close facsimile of one posted by the sheriff of Franklin County, Kentucky, on the department’s Facebook page this month. The Franklin County flier went viral and attracted national news coverage.

Other law enforcement agencies in the United States have used fliers and newspaper advertisements to entice dealers to inform on their competitors.

Clark said he heard that the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia came up with the idea.

Dale J. Brooker, an associate professor of criminal justice at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, said the jury is out on whether convincing drug dealers to “rat” each other out will prove to be an effective crime-fighting tool.

“It’s something worth looking at,” he said. “While it’s a tactic that might seem comical at first, if it brings in reliable information, it could prove useful.”

Brooker also found the economic aspect of the approach interesting.

“It’s a pretty smart tactic of using a capitalistic notion to eliminate your competition,” he said.

‘HUMOROUS, BUT ALSO SERIOUS’

Westbrook Police Chief Janine Roberts said that while the concept is new to her, the idea sounds promising. She said it won’t cost taxpayers any money and doesn’t appear to violate anyone’s civil rights.

“Anything we can put in our tool box to fight drug trafficking will be helpful,” Roberts said Tuesday evening. “Even if just one drug dealer were to turn in a competitor, it would put us ahead in our game.”

Roberts said police throughout the greater Portland area are seeking any advantages they can get over drug dealers as the heroin epidemic spreads.

In July, Westbrook emergency responders were called to eight reported heroin overdoses. And while all eight people lived, concerns in the community are running high.

“It’s a good idea and a proactive approach that we will consider using,” Roberts said.

Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck could not be reached Tuesday evening. Fourteen people overdosed on heroin and other opiates in a 24-hour period in Portland this month, heightening concerns about the region’s drug epidemic and whether a particularly dangerous supply was circulating on city streets.

Winslow’s posting is mostly a tongue-in-cheek way to liven up the department’s Facebook page and get people talking, but there’s always the possibility it could lead to a criminal case, said Chief Shawn O’Leary, who credited South Portland with giving his department the idea.

“It’s something humorous, but also serious,” he said. “You might generate some intelligence out of it from good citizens.”

Clark, in South Portland, said that even if the flier doesn’t result in legitimate tips, its serves to engage the community in a discussion about a bigger problem.

“It’s scary because police don’t have the solution,” Clark said. “It is going to have to be the community that comes up with a solution.”

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