Bangor PD's Facebook feed is your friend

Let it not be said that some of Maine's police officers do not possess a sense of humor or humanity. If it's not Detective Napijalo finding stolen mascot plushies and most recently writing a comic book for all ages, then it's the anonymous and quirky officer who is currently running the Facebook feed for Bangor Police Department.

If you have been missing the sidelong wit of Maine's old Police Blotter columns in local newspapers (gone the way of the birds, mostly), you will be delighted. If you have yet to check out their feed, then YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
https://www.facebook.com/Bangor-Maine-Police-Department-227432866078/

For instance:
1) One police officer was able to save a tiny chihuahua from a fire last week in spite of a biting from the nervous young lady pup. He tells the story better than I do:

In a celebration of National Puppy day we share the following information.

A structure fire on Hammond Street was discovered by Officer Jordan Bragan while on routine patrol. Bragan alerted folks to get out of the adjacent apartments by pounding on doors and waking those in danger.

Bragan also was able to enter an apartment in order to grab a 6 pound Chihuahua named either Bella or Stella. The pooch refused to come out. Nice save, Bragan. "Don't drop the Chalupa." It is unclear if he will add that slogan to his new tattoo. The dog is fine. He would have done it even if it was not National Puppy Day.

Bragan was bitten by Stella/Bella while carrying her from the building. He was wearing his gloves and was not seriously injured. We could hear him verbalize "doooohhhh" from his cruiser camera audio recording. We are putting it on Sgt. Bushey's mix-tape.

Bangor Fire arrived at the scene and put out the fire. Nice work ladies and gents.

Otherwise, several arrests for various illegal activity and someone dropped off donuts. They are all gone.

Have an awesome Thursday. We will be here!

Or how about
2) The way they handle reminding us all (duh) to lock our doors:

Please folks, if I gave you advice on financial decisions, food selection, roofing materials or what kind of flatware you should buy, ignore it. I know very little about those things.

My idea of a good investment is one which returns just fifty percent of my initial outlay. Flatware pulled from the McDonald's bag has been used on many a night in my little world and I think discarded street signs look pretty cool as a stopgap measure on the camp roof. I am not promoting taking street signs. I said discarded. Read all the words before contacting my supervisor.

I rethought my first paragraph and have decided that my food selection skills are superb. Add a half a cap of apple cider vinegar to your drawn butter when using it dip your steamed clams or lobster. You will be thanking me soon after the meal, possibly naming your next child after me. This child will be well behaved, a heck of a pool player and will move out of your house after his or her 36th birthday. I was a late bloomer as well. Trust me. I work for the government. Get it right. Capital T. Capital C. Sounds like "easy", and rearing him/her will be just that. Their middle name should be, Tangy-Goodness.

What does all that rambling have to do with police work. Nothing. You expect too much from me.

I need you to lock your stinking car doors. All over Bangor, we are dealing with a roaming dipstick or dipsticks that are ransacking your belongings, dropping your registration paperwork on the floor of the Civic and taking things of value. How hard is this for us? Obviously, it is tougher than I think.

Lock your doors. Just use the little button on the remote, hold down the mushroom looking thingie on the door, push forward or backward on that tab near the handle. They even make it easy by marking it with orange. Lock it. Lock it. Lock it.

Some of us might even remember next time as a result of this.

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention Westbrook Police Department's feed, which is regularly updated with useful and helpful info, including major traffic updates when roads are closed due to crashes, links to confidential victim support services, historic photos from the force archives, pics of new and outstanding personnel, photos of suspects they are trying to identify, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/WestbrookPD/

Portland Police Department is online on Facebook as well, and they seem to be trying to up their game in recent weeks in an effort at matching Bangor's outreach. Let's hope they continue! We need it here, guys. I'm serious!:
https://www.facebook.com/Portland-Maine-Police-Department-121900037821056/

NOTE: For those wanting to know more details, Portland Police Department Detective Andjelko Napijalo's comic book, Nightmare Warriors, is being launched by a Kickstarter campaign (47 hours left and it's just over its goal). If you want to check it out, here it is:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/34629306/nightmare-warriors

Here's to all of Maine's women and men in blue, and especially to those who handle such a difficult and frustrating job by finding a way through all the stress to help us with a smile on their face or by offering a helping hand in the worst times of need and distress. Thanks for doing a job that would drive me into a straightjacket. Thanks for being on the other end when we call. Thanks for having a sense of humor when you hear things like, "Oh, nope -- he just dropped the bullhorn out the window." We're glad to have you here beside us in the light AND the darkness before the dawn.

If you love your Maine PD's Facebook feed or have a favorite weekly Maine police blotter that's still running, please feel free to recommend it in the comments, and I will post it! :)

Gorham Times Blotter rules!

Okay, here's some good blotter fodder for the past week from the Gorham Times!

Blotter

Douglas Street caller reported finding footprints around their residence. It also appeared that someone had been peeking in their windows.

South Street caller advised that their child was at the library and one of their child's friends set his hair on fire.

Western Avenue caller reported they had found a gun in their mother's drawer and wanted to know if it was registered.

State Street caller wanted to speak to an officer regarding the Do Not Enter sign and their customers entering the wrong way.
[...]
Caller reported their vehicle was "broken into" sometime during the night or early morning as they found a paper clip in the ignition when they went to leave for work.

Murray Drive caller reported that their spouse has been receiving unwanted sex messages and comments on their cell phone and they wanted the messages to stop immediately.
[...]

Read full Blotter here: [Source]

Bludgeoned by truck!

I popped onto the Mount Desert Islander newspaper website to check their police blotter (thanks to Nicole, who gave me the link and recommended the site back in October). And what rewards!!! Right off the bat, I was greeted by this bizarre headline:

Island Police: Driver bludgeons building with truck
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

BAR HARBOR — Police across Hancock County are on the lookout for a GMC pickup that allegedly struck the building housing the closed Nakorn Thai restaurant on Cottage Street Saturday evening. A witness to the events described seeing a maroon pickup stop at a stop sign on Federal Street, at the intersection with Cottage Street across from the restaurant. The driver of the truck then reportedly squealed the truck’s tires on the ground, flew across Cottage Street, went up and over the sidewalk, across the Nakorn Thai parking lot, and slammed into the building. The vehicle then backed up and drove up Kennebec Street, according to the report.
[...]
A woman reported seeing a broken window with a curtain blowing in and out of it on an upstairs floor of the Ledgelawn Inn Feb. 13. Police notified a contact person for the inn.
[...]
A blue “snowflake” flag was reported stolen from in front of a Main Street business Feb. 13. A number of similar flags, which announce that a business is open during the winter, have been reported stolen from downtown locations within the past weeks.
[...]

Mount Desert

A 15-horsepower Mercury outboard motor was reported stolen Feb. 13 from a boat at the Bartlett’s Island Landing.

That same day, a Seal Harbor woman complained about two men who came to her door wanting to talk about religion. She told police the men were aggressive and that she became frightened. The men left when the woman asked them to leave. The incident is under investigation.

[...]

View the complete blotter report here: [Source]

In Maine, it's easy to remember the adage that "Truth is stranger than fiction"!

Cat spat erupts on coast!

Okay, once again we return to the fertile ground of police blotterdom, with a lively entry on an otherwise quiet week, as printed by the Ellsworth American earlier this month:

Police Called to Mediate Cat Spat
Written by Jennifer Osborn
Tuesday, February 03, 2009

ELLSWORTH — Maine State Police Trooper Greg Burns responded to a dispute between an East Machias couple who had been arguing over having too many cats.

Burns said the man became upset because it was his birthday and he felt that his wife cared more about the cats than him. At one point during the argument, the man chased one of the cats out of the room with a hammer.

The trooper referred the couple to family support agencies.

Read full blotter report here: [Source]

A week later, the suspicious disappearance of a can of tuna was reported to authorities. What do you think, gentle reader? Did the dread cats do it???

Woman Reports Can of Tuna Stolen
Written by Cyndi Wood
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

BUCKSPORT — A Main Street resident reported someone had been in her apartment Jan. 29.

Reported missing was one can of tuna valued at $1. There was no sign of forced entry.
[...]
Suspicious Person

A man reportedly yelled and kicked at passing vehicles on Route 1 Jan. 27 when the drivers would not give him a ride. An officer gave the man a ride to the town line.

Read full blotter report here: [Source]

Yep. Dig it!

Police blotter cornucopia!

Kudos to the Gazette Editor who runs the Gab with the Gazette blog, which archives the Police Blotter returns each week in the area. I've read a lot of police blotters, and the best editors really go the distance in titling their entries, making the reading all the more entertaining. These guys really take the cake! (You can read other culled police blotter reports that Strange Maine has stumbled across before here.)

DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER
A caller reported being harassed while delivering newspapers.

ATTACK OF THE GERMS
A caller reported they had a sneezing spell, drove off the road, and hit a sign with their vehicle on County Road.

[Source]

SO IF I PAY, DO I KEEP THE ORANGE JUMPSUIT?
A caller from Main Street requested to speak with an officer regarding their bail conditions.

BRITNEY SPEARS IN MAINE? PART TWO
A caller from Ossipee Trail reported a suspicious female carrying an infant that was not properly attired.

WATCH OUT FOR MY KID
A Ridgeway Drive resident requested to speak to police in regard to their child’s driving behavior.

[Source]

The Gazette Newspaper serves Gorham, Buxton, Hollis, Limington and Standish.

Police blotter bonanza

I wound up with a copy of the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier from January 18, 2007, after working on the Emptyhouse Film zombie movie "2" (the Courier had run an article about the production). I was getting ready to dispose of the rest of the issue when I noticed they have a great blotter on page 25, "Police Notes." This is some priceless stuff! The staff is to be commended for their excellent efforts in titling each item of interest.

For your enjoyment, I will transcribe the best of the bunch.

Police Notes
Biddeford
Lost laundry
Police received a call about a basket of laundry in the roadway. The caller said he picked up the laundry and moved it to the McDonald's parking lot. Officers were unable to locate the laundry.

Not a bank robber
Police responded to a call about a man that was pacing in front of the Biddeford Savings Bank for more than 10 minutes. Police approached the subject and learned he was simply waiting for a bus.
[I wonder if they offered him a ride? --M]

They're all going to laugh at you
A woman called police and claimed harassment after she alleged that a group of people were laughing at her at Common Connection.

Saco
Big money
A vehicle on Ura Street was burglarized. The owners reported $1 worth of items stolen.

Bah Humbug
The baby Jesus in a nativity scene in front of Notre Dame Church was stolen. It was valued at $100.
[Maybe it was time for him to move on? --M]

Darn teenagers
A 13-year-old girl was reported as a runaway shortly before being recovered in front of city hall on Main Street.

For those who, like myself on slow nights, enjoy the mild entertainment factor of unambitious crimes and confused call-ins about suspicious activity, the Courier has kindly made available the text files of their issues online, which you can search for Police Notes, and come up with a bumper crop of your own reading material. Here's the link:
Search the Courier for more Police Notes material!

The latest addition, as of the writing of this post, was from August 21st, and included such fabulous items as:

NIGHT SWIMMERS

Police took a report of people swimming in a resident’s pool at 2:30 a.m. The caller reported at the time they thought it may have been an animal that made a splash in the pool, but upon waking they found a table broken by a person who stepped on it.
[What?!! --M]

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?

A person called police to report area juveniles had thrown apples at her vehicle. When police spoke with the woman, she said she was angry and admitted to making up the story about her vehicle being struck by the apples.

What are you waiting for?! Go read more!

Some Police Blotter Shenanigans

Courtesy of the Police Log from the Kennebec Journal Morning Sentinel's Saturday, July 14th edition, an assortment of tidbits from south of Portland:

IN CARATUNK, Thursday evening, a caller reported a dog bit someone on Main Street. (Ow.)

IN WATERVILLE, Friday at 12:36 p.m., an Elm Street caller reported that her estranged husband called and told her he was sending another woman to beat her up.

8:29 a.m., a Leighton Street caller reported that two strange men were near his home. Police warned a man for trespassing. (If police got calls every time someone saw strange people near their home in Portland, they'd never get any rest!)

8:14 a.m., an Elm Street caller said he believed his neighbor broke his car antenna during the night. (I bet he met with a poor reception.)

7:41 p.m., a Water Street caller told police that someone was in his house taking his food, but he did not wish to file a report. Police warned the caller about misusing the 911 emergency line.

11:49 a.m., a Rice Rips Road caller said he had a video of his neighbor committing indecent exposure. (...and he just happened to be filming?)

IN WINSLOW, Thursday at 6:16 p.m., police received a call from a woman who said she was on probation and had just hit someone. (Whoops!)