The South Berwick Reporter, starting this week, will summarize the local police log every two weeks to let citizens know the work of these public safety officials.
The South Berwick Police Department has agreed to provide a log that closely matches what other communities around the state provide to the public.
In a typical week, local police make numerous motor vehicle stops, check on buildings and public spaces around the town, answer calls for medical emergencies, and stop by various locations to make what the department calls “community contacts.”
The log includes a number of terms that were defined by Lt. Scott Stephens, who provides the weekly logs to the Reporter.
“Directed patrol” indicates a police officer is doing some type of enforcement, prevention or simply providing a presence.
A “building/area check” means an officer is either checking a business that is closed to make sure it’s secure and nothing suspicious is occurring; checking on a house at the request of a resident who is away; or checking an outdoor area that is closed to the public after dark.
A “community contact” refers to an officer having a conversation with someone in the community. This could be stopping by a business to have a friendly chat with the owner or employees, dropping in at a sporting event, or just talking with a citizen. These casual encounters let people in town and the officers get to know each other, said Stephens.
The police log for this week has been attached in full here to give residents an idea of what a typical South Berwick police log looks like. In the future, a reporter will summarize the highlights and follow up on incidents or calls that merit further attention.
During the period from July 21 to 28, for instance, local police answered 13 calls for medical assistance, made 31 checks at buildings and public areas, engaged in 26 directed patrols, and answered six calls for suspicious activity and 11 for animal complaints.
Among the 63 motor vehicle stops, three drivers were issued a summons to appear in court, and one stop on July 27 resulted in an arrest for operating under the influence.
A July 26 call to assist a citizen, which resulted in an arrest, should not have been included in the log because it was a Sanford police arrest, said Stephens.
In addition to these, South Berwick police responded to a mental health assist, a drug incident, a civilian complaint, two welfare checks, two responses to larceny or potential property theft, and a report of harassment. A burglary and two shoplifting calls are currently under investigation.
Responding to vandalism at the Hamilton House involving destruction of a statue, police have asked on Facebook for any information the public may have. In another Facebook post, police asked for help identifying an individual photographed stealing a bike on July 24. Both are active investigations, Stephens said.
Versions of the police log given to the South Berwick Reporter in 2023 were largely blacked out, providing little information about the nature of each call.
In creating this more complete log, Chief David Ruger stated he is interested in running a transparent department and letting people in the community understand the work done by the officers.
Voters in June agreed to fund two more officer positions, bringing the total to 12. The hiring process is ongoing at this time.
