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Sheriff reports new drone, inmate housing agreements and MaineCare support for reentry MAT
Summary
Sheriff Joel Merry told the Sagadahoc County Commissioners that the department received a drone through an MDOT grant and has used it for accident reconstruction, is recruiting deputies, and is pursuing inmate boarding agreements including federal inmates and potentially Border Patrol detainees; DHHS/MaineCare will begin covering MAT costs for reentry program participants.
Sheriff Joel Merry told the Sagadahoc County Commissioners on June 11 that the department has received a drone through a Maine Department of Transportation grant, has two certified pilots, and has already used it to speed accident reconstruction, including nighttime operations. "It has saved a lot of time," Merry said. "Accident scene information can be gathered more accurately and quickly, and the software makes calculations based on the data gathered, [which] really accelerates the ability to reconstruct an accident."
Merry said May calls for service were just under 500, roughly in line with the prior year, and that Richmond accounted for about 60 calls for the month (about two a day). He said the department is actively recruiting for two new deputy positions but faces the same small applicant pool many agencies do, in part because law enforcement requires nights, weekends and holiday shifts.
On corrections, Merry reported the in-house population is about 195—near the maximum under current staffing—and that Two Bridges Regional Jail (TBRJ) has closed its Special Management unit while arranging to house those inmates elsewhere under agreements that pay the full boarding rate. "TBRJ has recently entered into an agreement with the Androscoggin Sheriff’s Office, who will pay the full boarding rate," he said. The jail is also housing 10 federal inmates at a per diem of $105 per day, which Merry said increases revenue. He said he is exploring similar arrangements to house Border Patrol detainees.
Merry said reopening the Special Management unit would require hiring approximately five additional staff. He also described a meeting with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and MaineCare, which he said are beginning procedures whereby MaineCare will cover medically assisted treatment (MAT) expenses for inmates who enter reentry programs. Merry said the county's MAT program has nearly 100 participants and about 20 inmates in intensive counseling. "That process is just beginning which will take on some of the financial burden," he said.
Merry promised to provide an activity report detailing time spent on calls at the next regular Commissioners meeting. The board did not take formal action on these operational updates.
