December 2009
Portland Cops to
Shadow LAPD
Fifteen members of Portland’s Police
Department will be going on a five-day trip
to California in February to study the Los
Angeles Police Department.
LAPD has just completed eight years of
consent decree policing under the close
scrutiny of the Department of Justice,
integrating the mandates of the decree into
policies and procedures. In July 2009 U.S.
District Court Judge Gary Feess lifted the
decree, which had been overseen by an
independent monitor.
Former LA Police Chief William Bratton
said it “marked a triumph” . . . and “has
resulted in department reforms that have
been recognized as the best practices in
policing worldwide.”
The Portland Police Department has
received a grant from the Justice
Department so that Portland can look at
best practices of similar positions in other
police departments, and the LAPD meets
those specifications.
The participants will be observing and
receiving training, performing job-
shadowing, and doing ride-alongs at night.
Many officers will be able to double up on
the training in their particular disciplines.
As an example, Officer Ray Ruby falls will
be able to meet his counterpart in California
in charge of Youth Services and he will
also meet with LAPD’s Special Reaction
Team members, since that is another of his
areas of expertise.
Other categories that will be looked into
will include: homeland security; CompStat
training; gang investigations; the
Community Justice Advocate, for which
Portland has received a grant to implement
that new position.
Accompanying Chief James E. Craig, are:
Attorney BethAnne Poliquin; Commander
Michael Sauschuck; Detective Mary
Sauschuck, a member of the Southern
Maine Violent Crimes Task Force; Senior
Lead Officer Gayle Petty; Lieutenant Gary
Rogers, head of Criminal Investigation
Division; Crime Analyst Lisa Boisvert;
Evidence Technician Christopher Stearns;
Sergeant Charles Libby, Community
Services; and Sergeant Heath Gorham, also
a member of the Bomb Squad.
-Marge Niblock
Police Review
Committee to
Hold Annual
Public Meeting
Portland's Police Citizen Review
Subcommittee will hold its annual public
meeting in Room 24 in the basement of
Portland City Hall on Wednesday, January
13th at 6PM.The meeting is the public's
opportunity to discuss the police citizen
complaint process.
The Portland City Council established the
Police Citizen Review Subcommittee in
November, 2001. The PCRS has six
commissioners and one alternate. The
PCRS reviews the process of police
investigations of citizens’ complaints,
solicit public input on the police citizen
complaint process, report to the City
Manager on the results of their case
review, and issue recommendations for
improving the police investigation process,
training and public confidence in the citizen
complaint process.
To qualify as a committee member, an
applicant must be a resident of Portland
and a person of good moral character with
good communication skills.
Anyone who is or has been a City
employee or City Councilor, or if the
applicant or any member of the applicant’s
immediate family is or has been a Portland
police officer, arrested by a Portland police
officer, filed a complaint with the internal
affairs unit alleging a civil rights violation
or criminal offense, or brought suit against
the Portland police department, he or she is
disqualified from becoming a committee
member.
DO OVER!!
Notices for annual City
meetings arrived after events
were already held.
Parkside State Representative Herb Adams
has sent a letter to Mayor Nicholas
Mavodones asking that the City hold a
second neighborhood meeting in District 2
after notice for the first meeting arrived in
residents’ mailboxes after the event had
already been held.
The City annually holds meetings in each
district with city councilors and staff to
answer questions and discuss issues. The
District 2 meeting was held on November
5th at Reiche School and was attended by
just 13 people. Adams said that a bulk
mailing sent by the City to alert residents of
the meeting did not arrive in mailboxes until
about a week after the event. Notices for
the meeting held in District 1 (East End)
also arrived after the event was over.
“Only 13 people showed up for the District
2 City meeting at Reiche School in the
middle of the most densely populated
square mile of Maine . Something was
obviously wrong,” said Adams . “For
many of us, myself included, the bulk mail
meeting notice arrived one week too late.”
In his letter to the mayor, Adams proposed
that a second meeting be held in January at
the Parkside Neighborhood Center .
Parkside Neighborhood Association
President Robert Giovannini echoed the
invitation, Adams said.
“City decisions should include the public
thinking of the city’s growing and busy
West End,” said Adams . “You got the
time, we’ve got the place.”
WENA Prez: Sr.
Center in West End
Outgoing West End Neighborhood
Association President Rosanne Graef has
proposed the idea of having a senior center
located in the West End. Graef says there
is no gathering place for this age group on
the West End, and it would be nice to have
something within walking distance for
them.
As an example of what she has in mind,
Graef pointed to People Plus in Brunswick,
which was originally geared toward older
adults, but has evolved over the years to
include a teen center and more connections
between the generations.Members join the
organization for $25/year and may then
take part in any of the activities they
choose.
Portland Recreation Supervisor David
Caldwell says that the City. has offered a
very popular Adult Senior Program for
many years. The Senior Program is for
adults age 55 and older and is
"headquartered" out of the Harry E.
Cummings Center on Munjoy Hill. It has
one full-time and two part-time employees.
The core group of members who use the
program regularly are in their 80's and 90's.
Caldwell says that they have 350
households and individuals on their
monthly mailing list. The bulk of their
programming is field trips and participants
pay for each activity.
The group uses the Cummings Center for
luncheons and activities at least twice a
month, and the program offers door-to-
door service with two recreation vans and
one mini bus. Many seniors do not drive,
or do not drive at night, so this service
enables them to get out and enjoy the
activities.
The Adult Senior Program also offer
several motorcoach trips throughout the
year. For example, the seniors went on a
four day, three night trip to Cape May, N.
J. this past October. Another popular
motorcoach trip is one to Indian Head
Resort in New Hampshire for St.
Patrick'sDay. Caldwell says that a good
number of West Enders use the program,
and that the Salvation Army has a Senior
Center on Cumberland Avenue that many
program members also use.
WENA member Jo Coyne pointed out that
a senior exercise program is offered at
Riverton Pool, and perhaps that could be
offered at Reiche as well, or maybe it
could alternate between the two pools from
season to season.
Lucas Films at Two
Portland Schools
The George Lucas Educational Foundation
was filming in early December at two
Portland Public Schools - King Middle
School and Casco Bay High School - for a
series titled “Schools That Work.”
A crew spent a week scouting and filming
at the two schools, which are among only
a handful in the country featured in the
series.
The crew focused on the two schools' use
of interdisciplinary projects (a hallmark of
Expeditionary Learning) and integration of
technology into the curriculum. King
graduates who now attend Casco Bay High
School werw among the students
interviewed.
The foundation has written several feature
articles about King for its national
publication, “Edutopia.” George Lucas, the
filmmaker who created the “Star Wars”
and “Indiana Jones” series, is the founder
and chair of the foundation. To find out
more, visit www.edutopia.org.
200 Attend Vigil
to Honor Homeless
Who Have Died
A vigil meant to honor the homeless people
in Portland who have died in the past year,
as well as previous years, was held in
downtown Portland on Monday, December
21st.
The vigil, which was attended by an
estimated 200 people, started at 4PM in
front of the Preble Street Resource Center
at the corner of Portland Street and Preble
Street, and proceeded to Monument
Square. Participants sang and carried
candles provided by the sponsors.The vigil
also featured several speakers and a
bagpipe player.
The vigil, held with temperatures dipping
into the low twenties, was sponsored by
Mercy Hospital, Preble Street Resource
Center, and Portland's Healthcare for the
Homeless Clinic.
Portland Man
Fatally Injured at
Portland Party
A Portland man is dead after being injured
at a party in the Deering neighborhood on
December 20th.
At about 12 45 AM,Portland PD
emergency dispatch received a call from a
motorist advising that he was transporting
an injured person to the Maine Medical
Center. During transport, further
description of the injuries and events were
given which led to officers being
dispatched to Maine Medical Center. Upon
arrival, it was determined that the individual
had died of his injuries. The victim is
identified as Than Yim, 33,of Portland.
Further investigation indicates that there
had been a private party at the Thanh
Thanh Bida Club at 250 Read St. in
Portland. A short time prior to the call to
dispatch, an altercation had taken place at
this location where the victim sustained his
injuries. Upon seeing the victim injured,
acquaintances transported him to the
Maine Medical Center, where he was
pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The incident is under investigation by the
Portland Police Department Criminal
Investigation Division and the Attorney
General's Office. An autopsy will be
completed by the State Medical Examiner
Office.
Anyone who might have witnessed and/or
having information about this incident is
asked to contact the Portland Police
Department Criminal Investigation Division
at 207-874-8524.
Parent Praised for
Reporting Underage
Drinking Party
21 Reasons, the local coalition which fights
underage drinking, issued congratulations
on December 15th to the anonymous
parent who reported an underage drinking
party to police over the weekend. That
report resulted in the breakup of the party
at 16 Hope Avenue on Saturday night. The
party involved 35 to 40 teenagers, mostly
from Deering and Portland high schools.
Portland Police issued a court summons to
a 16-year-old for furnishing the alcohol at
the party. A father and son were ordered
to appear in court on charges of furnishing
a place for minors to drink.
Greens Launch
Recruitment Effort
Maine Green Independent Party Chair Anna
Trevorrow announced on December 15th a
Green Party Legislative Candidate
recruitment effort for the 2010 election
cycle.
In 2009, Maine’s Green Party membership
rose to over 33,000 registered voters, as
the party celebrated its 25th anniversary as
an organized, political movement.
Trevorrow, who also serves on the
Portland Charter Commission, said that
many registered Greens live in areas
throughout the state where they have
limited opportunity to vote for Green
candidates, which is why the MGIP has
launched the effort to recruit as many state-
level candidates in 2010 as possible.
The MGIP’s Legislative recruitment effort
also hopes to raise $1500 by December
25th to conduct a statewide candidate
recruitment survey.
Portland Reschedules
Seasonal Flu
Prevention Clinics
Seasonal flu vaccinations available at two
clinics this month
Next week, the City of Portland, HHSD’s
Public Health Division will offer the first of
two seasonal flu clinics open to the public.
Vaccine will be available for $10.00, or at
no cost for individuals with a Medicare
Part B card. Pneumococcal pneumonia
vaccine will also be available for $45.00.
The clinics are open to adults, eighteen and
older.
Where & When:
Harbor Terrace, 284 Danforth Street,
Portland, Maine
Monday, December 14th, 1:00 PM – 4:00
PM
St. Pius X Parish Hall, 492 Ocean Avenue,
Portland, Maine
Tuesday, December 22nd, 9:00AM – Noon
and 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM
For more information about upcoming
clinics, please call the City of Portland Flu
Hotline at (207) 874-8946, or dial 211. For
more information about Seasonal flu and
the Seasonal Flu Vaccine, visit online.
As many as 36,000 adults in the U.S. die
from seasonal influenza and its
complications every year. Vaccination
against both flu and bacterial pneumonia
(pneumococcal vaccine) are essential to
protect the health of seniors and others
with chronic health conditions.
Vaccinations reduce health care costs by
limiting expensive therapies and
unnecessary hospitalizations and decrease
the spread of disease in the home,
workplace, and community.
Groups at especially high risk of seasonal
influenza and its complications include:
People over age 50;
People with chronic medical conditions
such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, or
immune system problems;
Pregnant women;
People in long-term care or institutional
settings;
Health care workers;
Caregivers and household contacts of
those at high risk; and
Young children aged 6 months and up.
It should be noted that this year’s
vaccination for the seasonal flu is
recommended for everyone. Parents and
caregivers of young children are advised to
get flu vaccine from their regular doctor in
the community.
Many Sex
Offenders Living
Near Portland
High School
The release of a high-risk convicted sex
offender, and the proximity of his living
quarters to Portland High School, was the
reason for a news conference on
December 15th, held by Chief James E.
Craig, and also attended by City Manager
Joseph Gray, Principal Michael Johnson,
and Portland’s School Superintendent Dr.
James Morse.
Brian Roy Haines, 33, who also uses the
alias of Brian Malmquist, was released
from prison a few days ago, causing the
Probation and Parole Department to notify
the Portland Police Department because it
was felt he was a risk to the community
and is a lifetime registrant. His victim was
under five years of age.
The police department felt this information
warranted community notification, so fliers
were printed for distribution in the
immediate neighborhood.
It has also come to the attention of the
police that there are seventeen sex
offenders, twelve of whom fall into the
serious high-risk category, living in two
buildings right near the high school.
The addresses are 263 and 273
Cumberland Avenue. Police have notified
the Boys and Girls Club and Unity Village
to make them aware of these developments.
Chief Craig said: “It’s important to me to
get ahead of it. That offender is to meet
with his probation officer daily.”
The Chief stressed that there was no
increase in crime in the area, but he wants
to be “proactive.” Craig said the numerous
sex offenders living close to the high
school is “alarming information, but the
Portland Police Department is taking
appropriate steps,” including extra patrols
in the area. He stated that the department is
doing a citywide assessment to determine
exactly where this particular category of
offenders are residing.
Portland High School Principal Michael
Johnson stated “Students say they feel
completely safe.” He said that students and
faculty had an open discussion about the
situation, and he was impressed by the
maturity of the students and how well the
topic was handled by them. He expressed
confidence that the police department is
well-equipped to respond as needed.
Officer Coreena Behnke is the school’s
Resource Officer and students and parents
are encouraged to direct any concerns to
her and to other officers in the
neighborhood.
The most recent state legislature passed a
bill whereby local communities in the state
can set a 750-foot radius as a limit for
prohibiting registered sex offenders from
living near schools or public spaces where
children play. This exclusionary zone set
by the legislature was found to be too low
and unacceptable to many communities,
which had already placed much higher
distances into their local laws.
City Councilor Dory Waxman is gathering
information to present to the City Council
for passage of an ordinance in Portland to
deal with this issue. City Manager Joseph
Gray said that possibly by late January or
February, there could be an ordinance
ready to bring to the Council.
-Marge Niblock
New Sprinkler
System Saves Old
Port Building
Fire at 10 Exchange Street
controlled by fire prevention
measures installed per city order
This morning at 12:58 AM, the Portland
Fire Department responded to a fire at 10
Exchange Street. A fire alarm was
received and crews arrived to find that a
single sprinkler head from the building's
recently-installed automatic sprinkler
system controlled a fire in an out-of-
service elevator shaft containing active gas
and utility lines on the second floor of the
four-story building.
"The shaft extended from the basement to
the fourth floor and was used for gas and
utilities," said Deputy Fire Chief Michael
Shutts. "Without the sprinkler system the
fire would have spread uncontrolled
throughout the building with significant
loss of property to Portland's Old Port."
As a result of the installed sprinkler system
and the rapid response following the alarm
trigger, fire and water damage was
minimal. Fire crews remained on scene for
a short time removing smoke from the
building. The cause of the fire is under
investigation.
The new sprinkler system which was
extended to the 2nd floor, and fire alarm
upgrades that required monitoring and
automatic notification, were installed this
summer following inspections of the
structure by the city's Fire and Planning
and Urban Development Departments.
These inspections found significant
deficiencies within its fire prevention
system, and as a result of the City's efforts
the deficiencies were corrected.
Driver Refuses to
Stop in Bayside
Muse Abdullahi Keyse, 24, of South
Portland was arrested on December 7th at
around 11 PM, in Bayside.
According to police, Keyse was traveling at
a high rate of speed and ran a red light, and
refused to stop for Lieutenant Gary
Hutcheson when signaled to do so. In
addition to speeding, he was also driving
erratically, and crashed into a fence at the
intersection of Lancaster and Pearl streets.
Keyse was charged with driving to
endanger, failure to stop for a police
officer, operating after suspension,
operating under the influence, and criminal
mischief.
-Marge Niblock
Mavodones
Sworn In as
Mayor
City Councilor Nicholas M. Mavodones,
Jr. was inaugurated as the Mayor for the
City of Portland on December 7th, serving
December 2009 to December 2010. City
Councilors David Marshall and Kevin
Donoghue were also sworn-in during the
ceremony.
An at-large City Councilor since 1997,
Mavodones served as Mayor previously
during the 1999-2000 and 2006-2007
terms, and has spent six years on the city's
Finance Committee, most recently as the
Chair last term. With twenty years of
public service, Mavodones began his civic
career on the Portland School Committee,
where he led the group as Chair for four
years. Having started with Casco Bay Lines
as a captain in 1981, Mavodones is now
the Interim General Manager for the ferry
company.
Mavodones has served as President of
Maine Municipal Association and board
members for the Portland Fish Pier
Authority and EcoMaine.
District 2 West End City Councilor David
Marshall will be returning for his second
term. Marshall most recently served as
Chair of the Housing Committee. City
Councilor Kevin Donoghue will be
returning for his second term representing
District 1 in the East End. Donoghue most
recently served as the Chair of the
Transportation Committee.
Doctors to Give
Free Foot Care,
Socks, Shoes for the
Homeless
On Friday, December 4th from 1-4 PM,
podiatrist Dr. Shannon Meredith of Mercy’
s New England Foot and Ankle Specialists
will be at the Oxford Street Shelter helping
to provide urgently-needed foot
examinations and basic foot care for
homeless people in the Greater Portland
area.
It is part of an event called “Our Hearts to
Your Soles,” a national effort to help care
for the homeless, whose feet are often in
poor health due ill-fitting shoes, many
hours spent on their feet and cold weather
through the winter months.
The event will be in the dayroom of the
Oxford Street Shelter for Men, 197 Oxford
Street. New England Foot and Ankle
Specialists also held a sock drive in
preparation for the event.
For more information, please contact
Vivian Bean at 879-3614, or at
beanv@mercyme.com.
Million to Fund
Appliance Rebate
Program
Federal grant will fund rebates of up
to $75 on new appliances
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
announced on December 2nd a Recovery
Act grant of just over $1.1 million to fund
a rebate program for energy efficient
appliances in Maine. The program allows
Mainers to get rebates of up to $75 when
they buy an energy efficient air
conditioner, dehumidifier, clothes washer
or refrigerator/freezer.
“This funding helps Maine in two ways,”
Pingree said. “It saves families money by
allowing them to trade in older appliances
for new ones that use less energy, and
stimulates the economy by boosting sales
to local appliance stores.”
The program was started in October by
Efficiency Maine—a program of the Maine
Public Utilities Commission--with seed
money from the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative funds. With Recovery Act
funding now in place, the rebate program
is expected to run into next summer.
Unlike the popular “Cash for Clunkers” car
program, consumers do not need to trade
an old appliance to be eligible for rebates,
just obtain a mail-in rebate form from the
retailer and send it in with a receipt.
Consumers can get more info at Pingree’s
website, www.pingree.house.gov.
Released Prisoner
Turns Himself In
A man who was mistakenly released from
the Cumberland County Jail on Wednesday
is back in custody tonight.
At approximately 3:45 this afternoon,
Ahmed Ismail, 23, surrendered at the law
offices of attorney Robert Napolitano at
765 Congress Street, and is now at the
Cumberland County Jail. Ismail had been
the focus of a search since being
mistakenly released from the jail on
December 2nd. He reportedly asked to
surrender directly to Portland Chief of
Police James Craig.
Ismail had been charged with two counts
of robbery and two counts of aggravated
reckless conduct with a dangerous
weapon, after being arrested for the
robbery of a couple shortly after midnight
on June 27th at Smith Street and
Cumberland Avenue in the East Bayside
neighborhood. A gun was used in that
crime, and cash had been taken from the
victims.
Ismail was also involved in another incident
on July 16th when Congress Street was
closed off by police between State and
Park streets. A call to police stated that
Ismail was displaying a firearm from a
window of 658 Congress, and had thrown
a bottle from a window in that building.
Officers checked the apartment where the
problem was alleged to have occurred, but
no gun was found there.
U.S. Marshals, in conjunction with the
Southern Maine Violent Crimes Task Force
took part in the search for
Ismail.
-Marge Niblock
Pedestrian Killed
on Forest Avenue
The Portland Police traffic unit is
investigating a fatal accident that occurred
in front of the Deering Pavillion apartments
on Forest Avenue on Sunday evening,
November 29th at approximately 5:30 PM.
The accident involved a 2000 Chevrolet
Cavalier operated by 74-year-old Chan Ng
of Portland, and a 57 year-old pedestrian,
Angelo Vacca Jr, who lived in the
apartment building.
The Chevrolet Cavalier was traveling North
on Forest Ave when it struck Vacca, who
was in the roadway. Mr. Vacca was
transported to Maine Medical Center where
he was pronounced dead.
Police are asking for anyone who may
have witnessed the accident to contact the
Portland Police Department Traffic Unit at
874-8532.