Reporting Aside: A slice of police life
Sep. 19—It was a warm, late summer morning Wednesday in downtown Waterville, but The Concourse parking lot was brutally hot.
There, a man with all his belongings piled into three parking spaces, was talking to — or rather yelling at — Waterville Police Department Community Resource Officer Rob Bouley.
Bouley had told him he must move his belongings, and that police had receive complaints from businesses, as well as motorists trying to park. With Bouley was Todd Stevens, the police department's community outreach coordinator. The two often work together to help those in need get connected to resources.
But the man clearly didn't want their help. He was angry about having to move his stuff, yelling that he was entitled to be there — saying he was a federal agent and John F. Kennedy's son, and police were communists. Bouley and Stevens remained calm and firm, despite the prolonged tirade.
The man continued to shout vulgarities as he started moving blankets, a mattress, pillows, clothing, food, tent, heater and other items across the street to the outside back wall of Camden National Bank. There, he meticulously organized it all and then lay down on the sidewalk to wait for a friend he said was coming to help him move it elsewhere.
I approached him in hopes of learning his story, but he said he doesn't speak to the press — only to police. "Thank you," he said.
By early afternoon, he was gone. Maj. Jason Longley of the police department said it had been on ongoing issue, with the man leaving his belongings in the parking lot, removing them at the behest of police, and then returning them the parking lot. Bouley and Stevens had tried to convince him to get connected with services but he refused, according to Longley.
"We're really not exactly sure what his situation is, only because he's pretty guarded with that information," he said.
It was the second time in two days that I was afforded an inside view into what police do on a regular basis.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, several Waterville police dispatchers were given awards for their work, helping to talk 911 callers through how to perform CPR and other life-saving measures until emergency crews arrive. Detective Paul Heath also received an accolade for doing CPR and using a defibrillator to help save the life of someone who collapsed in a local store. K-9 Officer Ryan Dinsmore also brought in his dog, Riggs, and talked about the work they do.
Police Chief William Bonney told stories about how dispatchers, including Brooke Cunningham, Shelby Doughty, Tanaya Doody, Kecia Blaisdell, Addie Gilman, Ryan Karagiannes, Jenna Davies and Jacqueline Bean, received calls about people having overdosed or collapsed in public places and then, following emergency medical dispatch protocols, were able to successfully keep them alive until rescue workers arrived. The chief, again and again, reported the victims were eventually discharged from hospitals.
Bonney announced that police Officers Jake Whitley and Mikayla Hodge were to be recognized for their exemplary actions during a critical domestic violence incident that occurred June 14, 2023, at a local hotel. Mayor Mike Morris read aloud a description of what happened that day. He and Bonney said Whitley responded to a distress call and found a woman being strangled. Whitley intervened, risking his own life to save her, as the man attacking her resisted violently and tried to disarm the officer.
Hodge arrived and she and Whitley subdued him. Hodge coordinated medical assistance for the woman, who was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
"Thanks to their swift and decisive actions, the assailant was charged with multiple serious offenses, including aggravated attempted murder and domestic violence aggravated assault," Morris said.
In an emotional moment, the victim spoke before the council, saying Whitley and Hodge were there for her in the most terrifying and vulnerable moment of her life.
"There really are no words to express the amount of gratitude you have to people who literally saved your life and I cannot thank you enough," she said. "There are not enough thank-yous in this world, but I thank you, my family thanks you, my children thank you for putting yourselves in a potentially life-threating situation. You saved me and I just can't thank you enough."
Bonney said he thought it was important for councilors and residents to know what police and dispatchers do on a regular basis.
"That's a lot of lives saved and a lot of differences made, so thank you," he said.
Amy Calder has been a Morning Sentinel reporter 35 years. Her columns appear here Saturdays. She is the author of the book, "Comfort is an Old Barn," a collection of her curated columns, published in 2023 by Islandport Press. She may be reached at . For previous Reporting Aside columns, go to centralmaine.com
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