Gorham Police Department Supports Wide Range of Services
Posted
on Mar 01, 2015
Gorham Interim Police Chief Chris Sanborn and Patrol Officer Ted Hatch were our special guests and speakers at our February 24th meeting. Chief Sanborn provided an overview of the Gorham Police Department and his career. Officer Hatch spoke about the many programs that the department supports in the community, including: VIPS, TRIAD, SNAP, and Yellow Dot.
Chief Sanborn has been with the Gorham Police Department for over 25 years, the last 10 as Lieutenant. In that time, he has been acting chief on four occasions and has been Interim Chief since November 2014.
The Gorham Police Department celebrated 50 years as a full time police force last year. To serve their community of about 16,000 residents, they currently have 23 sworn officers, 2 staff members, and 1 part time animal control officer. They receive dispatches through Cumberland County dispatch center and handled over 13,000 calls last year. Two of their officers are partnered with the school department as School Resource Officers. Ten of the 23 are patrol officers.
The following programs were mentioned and brochures describing them in more detail were made available:
The VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) are a group of ordinary citizens who are dedicated to community service and public awareness. They work through the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and are highly trained to assist the department in support services, patrol, and detective divisions. Any citizen can volunteer and receives the same training as police reserve officers. Activities they can be involved with include directing traffic at fire, accident or crime scenes; house checks on seasonal properties; neighborhood patrols.
Gorham-Westbrook TRIAD’s mission it to reduce criminal victimization of older citizens, enhance the delivery of law enforcement services and improve the quality of life for seniors in the community. Gorham and Westbrook partner in this program, providing a forum to discuss concerns of seniors. They also educate by sponsoring programs on crime prevention, fraud, home security, elder abuse and community safety. Seniors can work with program business partners like home services groups and legal services.
SNAP (Senior Neighborhood Awareness Program) is for seniors and disabled residents who need extra reassurance that someone cares. Participants self-identify and provide personal and emergency contact information. Volunteers from VIPS call every morning between 8 and 10AM to make sure the person is okay. If they don’t answer, someone goes to the home to check on the person.