Maine Town to Vote on Disbanding Police Department

The small coastal town of Gouldsboro will vote in June on whether or not to disband its police department.

According to the Ellsworth American , a petition signed by 97 registered voters was filed Monday at the Gouldsboro town office, said Town Manager Sherri Cox. Just 93 signatures are required to get the initiative on the ballot.

The referendum will ask town residents whether or not they wish to disband the Gouldsboro Police Department and contract with the Hancock County Sheriff's Office for public safety services.

The Gouldsboro Police Department presently has two full-time officers and one part-time officer. They reportedly respond to calls in an area that includes 45 square miles of land and 50 square miles of water.

The primary advocate of the initiative—who collected the 97 signatures—says that the town cannot be sufficiently patrolled with just two full-time and one part-time officer.