Todd Brackett, who has served as Lincoln County sheriff for more than 17 years, gave a riveting talk at the meeting of the Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) on Nov. 21 at the Newcastle Fire Station’s community room. 

Sheriff Brackett focused on illicit drug use and the progress the county has made in addressing people’s drug problems in the area. He noted a steady change in the severity of drugs used and an evolution from drugs like marijuana to heroin and fentanyl addiction and a recent increase in the use of crack cocaine. The latter he attributed to lower cost and higher availability and he pointed out that Lincoln County is on a major drug corridor, U.S. Route 1.

During his tenure, Brackett's understanding has evolved along with the public’s by recognizing that drug addiction needs to be treated as a disease, even though substance abuse can cause behavioral issues that lead to legal trouble. In his talk, he mentioned several programs that his department is involved with that are doing promising work in this area. He highlighted the new Medication Assisted Treatment program which provides intensive therapy and medication at Two Bridges Jail. The goal of all of their release programs is for people to return as productive members of the community. He cited that when folks are part of a recovery program, recidivism rates drop significantly. Specifically from the Two Bridges programs the rate is fewer than 20% while the national rate sees 68% of offenders returning to prison within one year.

Because “the criminal justice system should be the last resort” when it comes to fighting substance abuse in our community, Bracket says that his department, along with the support of the new District Attorney’s Office, led by Natasha Irving, tries to direct people into programs that can provide critical assistance — even as basic in some cases as finding primary care physicians. The Lincoln County Recovery Collaborative is a multi-agency group that brings together law enforcement, healthcare, education and other community organizations to address issues and create programs. A relatively new initiative is building a home and school connection with a voluntary program for students at Medomak Valley High School. The new program will try to provide a forum to help participants get comfortable enough to open up so that they can be connected to appropriate resources.

While he said the good news is that there has been no noticeable increase in drug-related crime (although Brackett estimates that 50% of the crime in the county is drug related) his department continues to struggle to find resources and address gaps in current programs to help citizens find assistance with addiction. Brackett particularly stressed the areas of developing transitional housing — the problem of finding detox beds outside of the jail setting, as well as in-patient and treatment beds. He shared that there are a total of only about 30 such beds in the state of Maine. He also noted that the rural nature of Lincoln County contributes to additional challenges for people who need help, such as our lack of public transportation. An audience member suggested that these might be areas where advocacy by Democrats in Augusta would be useful. 

In answering a question from the audience, Brackett described the training his officers receive in crime intervention, including drug and overdose victim recognition. He pointed out that most officers do not have extensive medical training but are equipped with NARCAN (naloxone) nasal spray so that they can quickly intervene in overdose situations. 

Brackett reminded the audience that anyone can walk into the Sheriff’s Office or to a hospital and ask for help and receive program referrals. He mentioned the Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center on Bristol Road in Damariscotta and programs at LincolnHealth. County Commissioner Mary Trescott announced a new $150K grant was awarded to Lincoln County Dental Health with assistance from Maine State Representative Holly Stover (D-Boothbay) and noted there is some correlation between tooth decay and opioid addiction. 

When asked about domestic violence, Brackett said that it has not decreased or increased in the county. Sadly, he said, that he has four full-time detectives working on child sex abuse cases that are often domestic violence related. 

In response to a question about marijuana use, he said that it is too early to tell what the impact of changes in the laws will have but that officers are currently using the same manual dexterity tests to assess drug use in drivers as they do with suspected intoxicated drivers, including whether the driver can walk in a straight line. An audience member noted that at his age he cannot walk in a straight line anyway — Sheriff Brackett smiled and said that officers try to take that kind of case into consideration. 

In 2020, the LCDC continues to meet on the third Thursday of each month through November, starting on Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Newcastle Fire Station, 86 River Rd, or at the Campaign Headquarters, once it is open. All registered Democrats and unenrolled progressives are welcome to attend. Registered Democrats in Lincoln County are invited to join the LCDC as voting members to help in their work. Find out more: http://lincolncountydemocrats.com or http://www.facebook.com/lincolncountydems/