The Rumford Reporter wants the SJ to stop publishing the RPD "Crime Bulletins".

From The Rumford Reporter:

What we want to know is do we want this "image" for our community? Overall, the Rumford community is a very safe place aside from a couple streets in the Waldo area. Do you want Rumford's image to be that of a crime ridden community with a police force that can't keep up with all the "calls". Or do you want Rumford's image to be that of a great place to live, work, and play. Our concern is that these crime bulletins feed into the Sun Journals negative stereotype of our town being a "scummy, crime-ridden mill town" which gets plastered all over the State via their newspapers and their website. Our concern is that this kind of image is going to affect economic development efforts in Rumford.

Although, the crime bulletin is not directly related to the budget because it is published in the Sun Journal for free, it is related to the future of our tax base if we cannot change our image. We did some investigating and learned that if a business was to purchase ad space in the Sun Journal the size of the "crime bulletins," it would cost the business owner roughly $500 per week. That equals to about $26,000 per year. In the past, the Sun Journal informed us that they left things out of the story because their wasn't enough space. Which is it? It would appear that the Sun Journal is donating $26,000 per year to the Rumford Police Department, requesting the crime information via a Freedom of Access request, and using precious space to knock down our community once again.

[therumfordreporter.com/2008/09/rumfords-image-at-stake.html]

SJ/RPD Crime Bulletin

RPD Crime Bulletins

There it is, as predicted.

The only thing that surprised me was their view that this information should be published in the RFT's.

They are a pretty transparent bunch for the most part.

Wasn't it TRR that insinuated that our police force was too big, that there wasn't enough crime here to warrant so many officers and that the budget should be cut?

Now that they and the community have been shown that is not the case they want it the other way?

I thought they wanted to see how our tax dollars were put to work. I personally like to see the police reports, if there has been criminal activity in my neighbor hood I have the right to know so I can be more vigilant.

It is a smart move by the RPD and the "donation" will help offset the budget cuts that this "other" group pushed through.

Chief defends crime bulletin

By Terry Karkos,
Staff Writer
Monday, October 6, 2008

RUMFORD
- Committing crimes in Rumford and getting arrested means people's mug
shots will run both on the police department Web site and in local
newspapers.

Link

From The Rumford FallsTimes:

Chief defends crime bulletin

RUMFORD - "There is some misconception as to why we're doing these community crime reports and how it came about."

"One of those misconceptions is that the police department is pushing for a higher budget and that they are trying to prove their need and existence," said the chief at the selectmen's meeting Thursday.

He added that readers locally had also asked for this.

"All we're hearing after we started was all positive information. The warrant section in there was very good for us because people now were turning themselves in, or people were calling and we were able to pick them up," said Carter.

He said, "Some people see this (community crime report) as a black mark on the Town of Rumford. I see this as an education for the citizens of Rumford as to this is what's happening in town.

Selectman Mark Belanger asked "Is there more crime in this area than say, Skowhegan?...We don't want that perception."

Link

In case you were not aware, it's back.

Crime Report Bulletin

The crime bulletin is working for this town, I like what the Police Officers are doing for this area at least they are trying to stop issue that is happening around here. I spent 1 year in grand jury and let me tell you, 65 % of the crime cases that went in front of us was Rumford Maine issue 30% was Mexico Maine and the rest 5% was other places in Oxford. I stand by the Police officers in Rumford and what they stand for.

YAY!!!!! I'm with you on that 100%. Most of the crime is " petty" but if it makes people stop and think before they do something stupid (not that I ever do), it's a good thing