Greenville police responded to 1,500 calls in 2024

GREENVILLE — Greenville Police Chief Jim Carr updated the select board about a number of department initiatives from the last year-plus during an April 2 meeting, including the fact the department responded to close to 1,500 calls in 2024.

Working on a compilation of statistics for the state, a total of 1,496 calls were handled by the Greenville Police Department last year or 20 more than the year prior. “Which doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s 400 more than 2020,” Carr said.

These calls include 90 911 misdials, hangups or no one being on the other end of the line; 74 alarms; 42 for suspicious people; 34 animal complaints including barking dogs, a fox by the school and injured deer; 46 vehicle accidents with property damage; four personal injury accidents (Carr said this a low number); 22 thefts; 18 trespassings; 15 disorderly conducts 11 domestics; 17 mental health calls; 14 harassments; 50 agency assists; and 376 traffic stops.

Carr credited good communication with the community, saying residents who feel comfortable may mention something to him or other officer that can then be looked into.

The police department worked with ATV riders, making stops to educate on what trails are open. “Come to Greenville, have fun, enjoy yourself but (obey) a few simple rules,” Carr said.

Body and dash cams have worked well, he said. If someone has a complaint then the footage can be reviewed to determine what happened. 

“We don’t spend as much time in court and trials because the attorney sees it,’ Carr said, as instead a plea deal may be sought after the video evidence is reviewed.

The chief is part of the radio committee working to improve the Piscataquis County emergency radio system.

“There are a lot of deadspots, a lot of the terrain in the county is bad with mountains and hills,” Carr said. “We are trying to fill in the gaps here and make sure our first responders and everybody in communications (can) work.”

He is also on a countywide committee working on active shooter training. “It’s going to be a lot of agencies, a lot of plans involved in that,” the chief said.

Deputy Chief Josh Guay is in his second year as school resource office at the Greenville Consolidated School, where he also serves as athletic director. 

Saying he loves the job, Guay described some of his daily routines. “I’m outside greeting the kids, I’m in the lunchroom, I’m out at recess and I’m also greeting the kids as they leave,” he said. “I think it’s important to be outside during the most vulnerable times, and it’s a good time for me to relate to them.”

The Maine Warden Service worked with Guay to conduct ice safety lessons for every grade level.

The Choices Matter, funded by the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, will bring guest speakers to discuss life-altering choices such as drinking and driving or texting and driving.

Guay is also looking to restart a bike rodeo program, teaching safety lessons such as the importance of helmets, with the fire department. 

“The biggest thing is just building rapport with these kids,” he said.

In his report, Town Manager Mike Roy mentioned the inaugural Moosehead Marathon is planned for Sunday, April 27. “This is not a town-sponsored event, but is kind of a grassroots three-person team that has put this together,” he said.

So far 200 runners have signed up with the day offering both a 26.2-mile race as well as a half marathon. A children’s fun run around the track is set for 8 a.m. on April 27, an hour before the longer races start from the school.

“It looks like it’s not just 200 people coming, but people coming with them,” Roy said, as the organizers wanted to have an event during a quieter season compared to the summer and winter months.

Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corp President Margarita Contreni said a successful event was held two days prior with the 2025 Piscataquis County Job Fair at Piscataquis Community Secondary School in Guilford. The fair was hosted by the organization along with the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and Eastern Maine Development Corp.

All 150 PCSS students attended along with a bus from Greenville and another group from the Penquis Valley School in Milo.

“We had 26 businesses and organizations, including ours, that were here so it was a full gymnasium experience,” Contreni said.

An adult session took place later in the afternoon on March 31. Not as many attendees came through the doors as organizers hoped, Contreni said. Plans are to have another event in 2026.