High School to Host Community Forum on Drug Use Prevention

AJ:

The forum will feature a panel made up of
[Westbrook High School's substance abuse counselor Bruce] Dyer, Westbrook Public
Safety Director Mike Pardue, District Court Judge Keith Powers, representatives
from the Westbrook schools and Westbrook High School graduate Kyle Shangraw, a
member of the class of 2005, who will be sharing his story about his struggles
with substance abuse.

- John C.L. Morgan

WPD Undergo Hostage Exercises

PPH:

All police knew was that shots had been fired at the middle school. What they
didn’t know was that the shooter had a hostage on the second floor of the
building. The scenario was one of several played out Tuesday at Westbrook Middle
School, where the Westbrook Police Department is holding training sessions all
week. Officers from Westbrook and Gorham were invited to sign up for one of the
half-day sessions.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook a Testing Ground for Public Safety Consolidation

PPH:

[Public Safety Director Michael] Pardue said the consolidation of [and fire and
police[ chiefs' jobs isn't right for every community. It made sense for
Westbrook because the police and fire departments were already in the same
building and both had strong leaders as second-in-command, he said. "The stars
have to be aligned correctly." Still, considering the cost savings on
administrators' salaries, and increased coordination and efficiency among the
departments, the structure should be considered more frequently, he said. "It's
a concept that I think has the potential to be evaluated by other communities as
we look to streamline our resources and answer the economic challenges we're
faced with at this time," said Pardue.

- John C.L. Morgan

Police Notes

The WPD suspects there might be an organized theft ring responsible for home break-ins since March. And in separate news, the WPD will be cracking down on impaired driving this summer, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the state.

- John C.L. Morgan

WPD Uses Facebook as Crime-Fighting Tool

AJ:

When Mike Nugent signs in to Facebook, he does the same thing as most users:
posts some pictures, lets people know what he’s been up to and what’s going on
around him. The only difference is that his posts detail police arrests of the
past week and his photos are mug shots of criminals.

As I note in this post, I don't object to the WPD's use of Facebook per se. I just think it would be beneficial for other City entities--i.e., City Hall, Westbrook High School, Westbrook Community Center, etc.--to create their own Facebook pages in order to balance the inherent negativity that comes along with the City's crime-fighters acting as its de facto PR arm.

That way we Facebookers are not only informed of the latest arrests and reminded of the sex offenders living in our midst, but also learn about the newest business in town, the latest homegrown award-winners in the high school drama festival, or the relatively inexpensive programming taking place at the WCC.

- John C.L. Morgan

Chief Baker, Police Department Look Forward

AJ:

[Bill] Baker’s new post is a full-time job [with the FBI], so he is not truly
"retiring," though he is stepping away from full-time law enforcement after a
36-year career. "It’s a pretty significant change. It’s a new phase, and maybe
the final phase, of my career," he said.

AJ:

Those within the Westbrook Police Department say it will be business as usual
come Monday, despite the absence of Chief Bill Baker. Baker announced his
retirement the first week of January. Since then, the city has announced fire
Chief Mike Pardue would step in on an interim basis to lead both police and fire
departments.

- John C.L. Morgan

Police Department Could Face Excessive Force Lawsuit

AJ:

The city of Westbrook has taken the first steps to deal with a potential lawsuit
from a local man injured in an encounter with a police department parking
enforcement and animal control officer in 2009. According to a notice of claim
filed with the city, Daniel Casale, 49, of Mechanic Street, is seeking $1.4
million in damages from an Aug. 12, 2009, incident on West Pleasant Street.

- John C.L. Morgan

Chief Baker to Resign

PPH:

[Bill] Baker, who became chief in 2007, said he regrets leaving the position but he
looks forward to the challenges of a new venture dedicated to keeping police
officers safe on the job. "Westbrook has been a fun place to work, so it's a
tough situation to walk away from," Baker said Friday. "But police leadership is
getting to be a younger man's job and it's getting tougher to keep such a
frenetic pace." Baker's last day as chief will be Feb. 4. He will start his new
job Feb. 7.

Though it's too soon for the crime statistics for 2010, Chief Baker initially saw a spike in the city's crime rate after he was first hired in August 2007--46.5% in 2008 compared to 36.3%% in 2007--but he presided over a dip in the 2009 figures (40.59%). Moreover, Chief Baker led the WPD to a steadying rise in the number of clearances, or cases resulting in charges. In 2007, the department's clearance rate was 33.2%, but it was 37.6% in 2008 and 46.4% in 2009.

These and other crime statistics can be found here.

- John C.L. Morgan

More Dreamers Drama

PPH:

The owner of a strip club in Westbrook that is closed because of code violations
apparently has workers putting in late hours to make repairs. At 1 a.m. Sunday,
police were checking commercial buildings along Warren Avenue when they "came
upon activity that appeared to indicate that Dreamers Cabaret was open for
business," the city said in a news release, even though the club's occupancy
permit had been revoked in September. Inside, a few women were serving coffee
while the music system blared, a disco ball spun overhead and lights flashed,
Westbrook police say.

In a separate AJ article, Westbrook Police Chief Bill Baker responded to the criticism expressed by the strip club owner's lawyer, Thomas Hallett:

Baker responded harshly Thursday, saying in an e-mail, "As Police Chief in this
community I am responsible for the safety and well being of our citizens. I find
Mr. Hallett's assertion that the City is being ‘childish,' or that the police
are being ‘overvigilant' rather silly." Later in his press release, Baker seemed
to insinuate that the people at the club in the early morning hours of Dec. 5
had criminal backgrounds. "It's our job to be vigilant in the presence of people
with histories of bank robbery, kidnapping, extortion, narcotics trafficking,
prostitution, aggravated assault, assault and battery with dangerous weapons,
terrorizing, burglary in the night time, assault and battery on police officers,
etc.," he wrote, adding, "This of course is not a direct reflection on Mr.
Hallett's client (Dreamers owner Larry Ferrante) who has no such history."

- John C.L. Morgan

Mullets and Tracksuits and Cuffs, Oh My

WGME:

Westbrook Police are pulling out all the stops in an effort to stay one step
ahead of the criminals. Police are frequently using disguises to go undercover
in high crime areas. Officers will leave the blue uniform and marked police car
behind in order to blend in and observe. These undercover efforts have already
resulted in numerous arrests and information used in other criminal
investigations.

Video of Chief Baker donning a mullet wig, and officers slipping into their best Westbrook wear (Westbrook Tuxedo not included) can be seen at the link.

- John C.L. Morgan

WPD Talks About Fight Club

PPH:

Westbrook police say they have uncovered the existence of at least one "fight
club," which has been using the social networking site, Facebook, to organize
and promote mixed martial arts style fights in the city. Authorities said they
are investigating the possibility that more than one fight club is operating in
Westbrook. Two 18-year-old men have been charged with unlawful prize fighting as
the result of their involvement in an organized street fight that took place on
the night of Nov. 8.

- John C.L. Morgan

WPD Officer and Middle School Teacher Win 'Dancing with the Staff'

WMTW:

Teachers and staff member at Westbrook High
School put on their dancing shoes Thursday evening for Dancing with the Staff.
Hundreds of people packed the Westbrook Performing Arts Center for the event,
which is based on the hit ABC show "Dancing with the Stars." Dancing with the
Staff is a fundraiser for Westbrook High School's senior class and it appears to
be a very successful one.

Fortunately, there's no television evidence of my, er, contribution to the event which was supposed to look like this, but probably looked more like this or this. Now if I could only get my hands on all those DVDs being sold in the lobby...

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook's Crime Stats

The Press Herald had an overlooked (by me anyway) story on Tuesday about crime statistics on a town-by-town basis.

The discouraging news: Portland and South Portland are the only cities or towns in Cumberland County with a higher crime rate than Westbrook in 2009. Portland's crime rate (which is calculated by dividing the town's estimated population by the number of crimes that take place within that town) was 49.07%, South Portland's was 47.21%, and Westbrook's was 40.59%. Nevertheless, there is some encouraging news.

The number of crimes committed in Westbrook dropped about 11% in the last year, from 758 in 2008 to 673 in 2009. Moreover, that reduction in the number of crimes accounted for the largest fall in the crime rate in Cumberland County, from 2008 to 2009.

The entire 2009 report, along with reports dating back to 1995, can be read here.

- John C.L. Morgan

An Appearance on the WPD's Facebook Page Could Mean No Old Port for You

PPH:

Both clubs [Oasis and Wharf 51] are using ID scanners that let security
know if a person trying to get into a bar has caused problems before. The
devices store information about IDs that have been scanned and flag anyone with
past problems. Security workers are also checking out Westbrook Police
Department's Facebook page. The department is diligent about putting up mug
shots of wanted people, and security wants to keep them out of the bar, Currier
said.

The WPD's Facebook Page can be seen here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Gangs of Westbrook

PPH:

Westbrook Police Chief Bill Baker said that gang [Asian Boyz] is definitely in
his city and has connections to several Massachusetts communities: Lowell,
Lawrence and Brockton. Gang members have used safe houses in Westbrook but their
criminal activities have been centered primarily in Portland and Massachusetts,
Baker said. "I would even go so far to say there isn’t any visible or
active gang activity in Westbrook," he said. "What there is is people with
connections to the gangs, some of whom act badly in Westbrook and get prosecuted
for crimes."

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Police: Profenno's Didn't Overserve Fatally Injured Driver

PPH:

There is no conclusive evidence that Profenno's
Pizzeria and Pub should have stopped serving alcohol to Jana Pooler on the night
in May when she rolled her car on the Westbrook Arterial and was fatally
injured, according to the findings of a police investigation. Now, the state's
Liquor Licensing and Compliance Unit is reviewing the case, and Pooler's family
is considering suing Profenno's.

- John C.L. Morgan

Bustlin' Bill on Westbrook Tuxedos

His appearance on Good Day Maine is here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Cops and Robbers--And Pharmacists, Too (June 25, 2010)

Westbrook One of a Few Maine Cities to Collect Data Related to Racial Profiling

MPBN:

"There are statistics that are being gathered in some of the cities in Maine
already," [Maine State Police Chief] Col. Fleming says. "The city of Westbrook
is looking at that, I believe Lewiston, Auburn, Portland. In trying to make
those determinations, that's part of what our process is going to be, is looking
at some of the data that's been collected and seeing what we can glean from
that."

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Chief Baker: Racial Profiling Has No Place in Law Enforcement (June 25, 2010)

Cops and Robbers--And Pharmacists, Too

Portland Daily Sun:

Hoodies, hats and sunglasses are considered common garb for robbers and
shoplifters, so Westbrook police are partnering with businesses, agreeing to
respond to calls from these businesses when a customer refuses to remove
targeted items that might conceal a person's identity. The new initiative,
unveiled Thursday, was deemed a "proactive stance," "empowering the business
community to call the police when customers come in with their identity
obscured." Police said customers would not be arrested for wearing the
identified items, but would have to leave the premises.

[snip]

A public relations campaign is anticipated to promote the initiative. "Police in
Westbrook are actively looking for the manufacturer of life-size cardboard photo
cut outs and are hoping to have a picture of a Westbrook officer with his or her
arm around a customer wearing what has been referred to on the street as a
'Westbrook Tuxedo' in many of the business lobbies around the city," the press
release stated. "The message is, if you come in looking like this we are going
to get to know you."

Any casual viewer of The Wire knows nothing good ever comes of the hoodie, a garment whose rank on the list of the anti-social attire is just above that of the "Whale Tail."

- John C.L. Morgan

(Update: More on the city's war on the Westbrook Tuxedo can be seen here.)

Chief Baker: Racial Profiling Has No Place in Law Enforcement

PPH:

It's not every day that the Maine Civil Liberties Union and law enforcement
co-author a commentary piece. We do, however, share a common commitment to the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We also share the belief that no one should
be discriminated against based on their race, ethnicity, nationality or
religion. That's why we agree that racial profiling--the practice of stopping,
searching or questioning a person solely because of their race--is wrong and
should be illegal.

According to Amnesty International USA, Maine is one of twenty-six states that have not banned racial profiling.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Chief Bakers Signs Up for Immigration Reform (January 15, 2010)