Sheriff reports lower call volume, low jail census and outlines fleet leasing option

The county sheriff reported that overall calls for service are down “about 12%” compared with this time last year, while traffic complaints have risen as the department operates short-handed. The sheriff said two deputies recently graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and will finish field training in the coming weeks.

On corrections, the sheriff said the county jail census is low — he cited single-digit sentenced counts and a small pretrial population — and credited diversion and treatment programs for reducing incarceration. “We now have an options clinician on board, and we’re going to start doing more group sessions,” the sheriff said.

The sheriff described regional participation in a state-funded impaired-driving “ride” enforcement detail that produced three impaired-driving apprehensions during a recent Boothbay Harbor operation. He urged commissioners to consider similar coordinated efforts locally as a force multiplier.

Separately, the sheriff outlined meetings with an enterprise fleet management vendor that would phase in leased vehicles over five years. Commissioners discussed costs, noting a rough comparison the sheriff provided (a lease scenario versus buying two replacement vehicles), and asked staff to schedule a vendor presentation and provide cost scenarios and timeline options before a final decision.

The sheriff’s presentation closed with staffing and scheduling concerns: he said new hires and deployment changes should ease short-term staffing pressures but urged commissioners to move carefully on fleet decisions to avoid unintended budget impacts in future years.