By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES—There is a new deputy in town.

Actually, the 40 hours-a-week position is being split between different employees from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

Town officials would like to eventually see a consistent face, the same person serving as a police presence during every shift. Additionally, there is the hope that the deputy can assist Naples Marine Safety Department with problems in the water, which are a result of this summer’s extra boat traffic.

For now, local selectmen expressed that they were really pleased to see the deputy and the vehicle on the Naples Causeway over the weekend.

“When I was younger, we had two deputies,” Selectman Bob Caron II said. 

“The taxpayers hopefully can see the benefits of having this full time in the community,” he said.

Caron said he believed that potential OUI’s would be reduced because people might curb their drinking or ride with a sober driver knowing that there is a deputy on the Causeway. The deputy’s shift coincides with the time most bars are open, he said. Having a law enforcement presence will deter a lot of crime, he said.

Selectman Kevin Rogers agreed with the sentiment.

“I really like the presence. It slows people down,” Rogers said. “To me, speeding on the Causeway” was reduced because people saw the cruiser in that area.

On Monday, Sheriff Kevin Joyce spoke to the Naples Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting now being held in the town gymnasium.

As of Memorial Day, the Town of Naples has had a deputy on the clock with a cruiser, Thursday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to midnight.

The town’s elected officials hope to move toward having one person in that position.

“The goal is to have one individual cover Naples but for now, the staffing at the CCSO does not allow for that. If the MSAD {61} hires a school resource officer this year, that person would likely be the individual who would work for the school during the school year and for Naples in the summer months,” according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley.

Joyce said, “We struggle with that, keeping the same person. Right now, it is overtime.”

From CCSO’s perspective, most people are looking for full-time work and don’t bother with a job that only last four months, Joyce said. Even though the position was in the Naples budget in 2019, the shortage of law enforcement candidates kept it from becoming a reality until this summer, he said.

“We have to find a way to make you happy and make it fiscally sound,” Joyce said.

A big part of the contract is partnership — the town officials expressing what is needed. In fact, Chairman Jim Grattelo called the sheriff’s office to request that the deputy spend time on the Causeway.

“I did ask for a presence of the Causeway. It was quality-of-life issues on the Causeway, kinda the things they saw this weekend,” Joyce said.

“If that is the will of the town, the will of the select-board, that they stay on the Causeway, we can do that,” he said.

One important fact: If the deputy makes an arrest, that could take up to three hours of his or her time away from the Town of Naples.

HELP NEEDED ON THE WATER 

During the discussion, the board asked about getting the deputy to assist Naples Marine Patrol with issues in the water.

Several people in the audience said they worried about the safety of marine patrol when groups of boaters got upset about being ticketed.

Joyce referred to boating, being out on the water, as the ultimate social distancing. It is no wonder that boat traffic has increased dramatically with COVID 19 restrictions.

There were many comments about not seeing the game warden’s boat this season. The biggest culprit has been that Department of Inland Fisheries has too few resources and too much area to cover.

Sheriff Joyce talked about how the warden and the deputy work together.

“If a warden needs help, they will come in and pick up someone if we are around. If it is a problem with the sand bar on Long Lake, we can’t help because we don’t have a boat,” Joyce said.

Chairman Jim Grattelo asked if the deputy could ride on the Naples patrol boat.

“If we could call that guy {the deputy} on the Causeway and take him on the boat that would be huge,” Grattelo said.

Joyce agreed for small groups the deputy would be beneficial. However, additional backup, such as a second deputy, would be more prudent for bigger crowds, he said.

“The warden’s services— they are spread thin. We don’t go out there and hammer people because they don’t have floatation devices. We certainly don’t check fishing licenses. We don’t do their job,” Joyce said.

CCSO as well as the Town of Raymond both “get calls left and right about speeding boats,” he said.