Maine Police Honor Helpful Citizens

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Maine police honor helpful citizens

SKOWHEGAN, Maine -- People who go out of their way to aid their fellow citizens or the police may get a small token of appreciation along with a thank you -- a distinctive commemorative coin.

Under a new program designed to foster Maine police-community cooperation, town police officers have been issued the coins to give to citizens they feel have performed a "noteworthy act."

Maine police Chief Butch Asselin initiated the program and designed the coins, which were purchased using federal grant funds.

He won't say how many were minted: "When they're gone, they're gone."

The coins feature the police department's shoulder patch, circled in blue, on one side and the town's Indian head logo on the other.

"They're attractive coins. I've shown them to my counterparts at the Maine Chiefs of Police Association meetings and they especially like the detail and color. The coins used by most departments don't have color, they're just bronze," said Asselin.

The so-called challenge coin concept was pioneered by the U.S. military as a way of rewarding extra effort by soldiers and has been adopted by police departments nationwide, said Asselin.

Police departments in Augusta, Maine; Bath, Maine; Brunswick, Maine; Presque Isle, Maine and Lewiston, Maine and the Aroostook County, Maine Sheriff's Department, have challenge coin programs, said Asselin.

In Presque Isle, Maine Police Chief Naldo Gannon said his officers have given out about 100 of the 300 coins that town minted. Recipients have included people who reported drunken drivers, a child who called 911 to report his mother and older brother being strangled by his mother's boyfriend, and a man who alerted Maine police to a fire in a building before, with his girlfriend, going through the apartment building to alert residents to the danger.

Gannon said the program has helped improve Maine police-community relations and people are honored to receive the coins.

"When the people see the coin -- and they're absolutely just beautiful -- they're taken aback and surprised that they would get something for their deeds well done," said Gannon. "And I know the officers love it because they're seen in a positive light, as doing something good for a person. Instead of giving out a ticket, they're given something of value."

Asselin said that in Skowhegan the coins aren't just meant to recognize heroic deeds, but also mundane acts of helpfulness and community spirit.

"It could be someone reporting a crime in progress, or assisting a motorist on a January night, or reporting that they haven't seen their elderly neighbor for a week," Asselin said. "I'm not trying to encourage heroic acts, I'm just looking for notable deeds done by a citizen, that's all. Just to recognize them for a job well done."

Skowhegan, Maine officers are issued one coin at a time, and have to submit a report to the chief after they issue it. They have wide latitude to determine who should get the coins, said Asselin.

The only limitations: They can't issue them to friends, relatives or fellow police officers.

Asselin said he, Deputy Chief Rick Bonneau, and the department's two sergeants can use them to recognize good police performance.

Asselin said that, so far, half a dozen of the coins have been issued -- to people who took part in a project to benefit Pine Tree Camp, to one citizen as a "lifetime achievement award" and two to police officers who turned a routine traffic stop into a drug bust by finding cocaine and cash.

"I guess what I want to do is foster a positive working relationship between the community and police. It's all about teamwork," he said.

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Maine police honor helpful citizens