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Caring for our community with Commitment, Pride and Honor.
These are more than just words. This statement, that includes our core values, is the essence of the purpose of the Eliot Police Department. It is instilled in each member of this department that we must care about the people we serve.
One of the most difficult questions for a police officer to answer is why do you do this job? It is not easy to put into words, but years of experience have taught me the simple answer; because we want to make a difference. We have a chance to clean up our little corner of the world.
Being a police officer is a lot like being a parent, we are not always going to make popular decisions and people are not always going to be happy to see us. But, people should understand that we are trying to make our community safer and protect our citizens from harm. It does not matter whether it is a simple speeding ticket or an arrest from a Domestic Violence call, the purpose is the same.
Police officers are often seen as role models and should be held to a higher standard for that reason and because of the trust and authority placed in them to perform their jobs. Leadership is about caring. For those of us who are called to public service, caring for people should be the cornerstone. My philosophy of “Policing with a Purpose” is based on this premise.
Policing with a Purpose was developed when someone asked what my beliefs were as it related to policing. I believe that we must have a reason for doing what we do. Enforcing traffic laws in areas where we do not have a problem is a waste of resources. Writing tickets for violations that do not change the public attitude and have an impact on safety serve no purpose. Finding the root causes of problems and directing emphasis in those areas does serve a purpose.
This philosophy has allowed us to reduce crashes by over 50% in 5 years, increase arrests for major crimes from 3.6% five years ago to 66% in 2008 (Maine UCR). We have been recognized by City data.com as the 10th safest community in the
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I have been honored to serve as the Police Chief of Eliot for over five years now and I am proud of the service our officers provide, the commitment of all of our employees and the support of our community. As always, if there is anything that we can do to improve our services do not hesitate to contact us.
In closing, please enjoy our website and I hope as you explore this site you get to know us and have a better understanding of the services we provide.
Sincerely,
Theodor G. Short
Chief of Police
