At last Tuesday’s meeting of the Raymond Board of Selectmen, members voted 4-1 (Dana Desjardins opposed) to enter into a contract with Frye Island for law enforcement services for a section of Raymond. That decision, while supported by four of the five Selectmen, has the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department concerned for Raymond’s legal liability.

Beginning immediately, Frye Island is providing a minimum of 20 hours weekly of police protection and law enforcement for the residents of Raymond. The services, which are provided free of charge to Raymond in exchange for Frye Island’s use of Raymond’s Fire/Rescue boat, include patrolling the Cape Road and Hawthorne Road, and patrolling Raymond’s Sebago Lake shoreline by boat.

Frye Island Police Officer Eric Pierce first presented the idea to the board during their May 17 meeting.

Pierce and Frye Island Police Chief Daniel Wessling travel Raymond’s roads at least six times a day from their homes in Gray to their jobs on the island. At times during these commutes, the two witness vehicles speeding but jurisdictional boundaries have restricted them from intervening. With the agreement in place, the pair would have the authority to follow through with citations and other means necessary to curtail speeding and deal with OUI cases.

One comment addressed by the board was the importance of communicating with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department before entering into the agreement with Frye Island.

“We need a good relationship between you and Cumberland County,” said Raymond Town Manager Don Willard, “so I think that’s one of the factors that would be between us to sit down with Captain Rhoads or somebody and talk this thing through.”

Pierce agreed saying, “Law enforcement is a territorial business and we’ve got a good working relationship with the foot soldiers in the County Sheriff’s Department and we have a lot of interactions with the Sheriff’s Department, and we do have a good relationship. Captain Rhoads would be, I believe, very supportive with our limited role on the Cape Road. Obviously we would not be doing calls, we would be doing agency-assist calls with county but primarily, if we see it happening with our own two eyes and we think we can intervene or interact, we will.”

Willard then asked the selectmen to give him authority “to arrange a meeting with Cumberland County to make sure all the issues are worked out,” and they responded affirmatively.

At the next Raymond board of selectmen meeting, on June 7, the contract was presented and voted into effect. Dana Desjardins, the only board member not to vote for the agreement, felt the matter should have been brought before the people of Raymond to decide.

Pat Smith, president of the Raymond Recreation Association commended the board and Officer Pierce: “I applaud you for being two municipalities willing to work together.”

But, though Raymond officials seem excited about the prospect of a combined police force, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department isn’t as enthused about the agreement.

In a phone interview this week, Capt. William Rhoads said he wasn’t aware that any agreement had been finalized. He said Willard had approached him for his reaction to the idea before an arrangement was reached. At that time, Rhoads had expressed his concerns to Willard about the issues of training, jurisdiction, and Raymond’s liability regarding the Frye Island force operating in Raymond.

Although both officers are certified in the two-week, 100-hour course through the Criminal Justice Academy, Rhoads did not feel that was sufficient: “If you don’t have a fully certified police officer, which I know this guy isn’t, Raymond is still on the hook for any liabilities incurred. If I was a selectman or town manager, I think I’d do my homework.”

When contacted by phone, Sheriff Mark Dion agreed: “I did investigate whether or not they’re a legal police department. I was concerned about their training. I wouldn’t dare run a police department on two weeks of training.”

Sheriff Dion went on to say, “Raymond’s decision to use them is their decision. We’ll continue to patrol, but if we’re called to pick up after them, they’re going to hear from us.”

But Willard defended the town’s decision, saying, “We’re trying to do what the governor, the legislators, and the voters want us to do, which is to work with our neighboring communities.”

Frye Island Police Officer Eric Pierce addressed the Raymond Board of Selectmen last Tuesday. Frye Island will be providing Raymond with a minimum of 20 hours of police protection a week.

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