Lincoln County Sheriff's Department has an automated license plate reader (ALPR), but nowhere to place it. On July 21, Sheriff Todd Brackett told commissioners his recent conversations with Maine Department of Transportation about placing the ALPR on their traffic lights at the intersection of routes One and 27 in Wiscasset, and routes 32 and 17 in Jefferson, failed. 

He is now turning his attention to placing the reader on utility poles owned by Central Maine Power and Fidium. In his initial conversation with CMP, Brackett said, the utility required a $5 million general liability clause. The county's liability risk pool fund only supports a $2 million liability. 

Brackett requested commissioners' approval to check with the risk pool to see how much it would cost Lincoln County to raise its liability to $5 million. "This would not be 'Big Brother' is watching you. This is a very valuable tool which assists law enforcement in tracking down missing persons," he said.

Brackett added, the ALPR would collect license plate information and hold it for 90 days. "The plate is not run, only stored. If there is a bank robbery, and we are looking for a white car with a partial plate number, then we would check the data," he said. 

Commissioners authorized Brackett to seek information from the risk pool about potential cost of the $5 million general liability clause. Brackett hopes to use federal Operation Stonegarden funds to support the increased cost of the insurance.

In other action, the sheriff's office may enter into a one-year agreement with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency to share an officer. Brackett reported on July 7 a deal between the county and state was unlikely, but now, things had changed. "On Tuesday (July 7) it didn't look good, but on Friday (July 10) the state had an opening, which meant the agreement could happen," Brackett said.

Earlier in the month, Brackett reported the state had a hiring freeze, but a recent MDEA Midcoast officer's departure led to an opportunity. Brackett will provide contract information for the shared officer at next month's meeting. 

The County Emergency Management Agency is looking to replace a 2020 Dodge Ram truck as its primary vehicle. Director Emily Huber reported the vehicle has over 103,000 miles and needs substantial repairs. She and County Administrator Carrie Kipfer proposed using federal Emergency Management Performance Grants to purchase a large SUV as a replacement. Commissioners authorized Huber to solicit bids for a new vehicle.  

Commissioners approved hiring Holly Harris of Nobleboro as the sheriff's department's records and training manager. The board also approved a job description for a county flood plain manager and authorized posting the vacancy. Laura Graziano, a resilience planner at Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission, said the job would likely be filled later this fall. 

Brackett reported the cruiser hit by a deer was repaired. Hillside Collision Center in Waldoboro repaired the vehicle which sustained $7,774.67 in damages. Insurance paid all but the $2,500 deductible, according to Brackett.

Commissioners approved three Motorola Solutions subscriptions for in-car and body cam storage. The subscriptions cost $10,704. Commissioners authorized payment for an unmarked Dodge Durango for the criminal investigative division. The vehicle was purchased from Key Auto in Newcastle for $39,126.

Commissioners meet next at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 in the courthouse.