State troopers relish Lebanon Challenge

Maine State Troopers David Coflesky, left, and Kyle Wells said they are looking forward to providing a consistent law enforcment presence to the town. (Harrison Thorp photo)

LEBANON - Think there’s no law in Lebanon?

Think again.

On Saturday around 3 p.m. State Police Trooper David Coflesky had a motorist pulled over on Depot Road near the intersection of Route 202 for a seat belt violation.

Less than a quarter mile away, Trooper Kyle Wells had another motorist pulled over for a moving violation as well.

The two are part of a trio of State Police officers whose duty it is to patrol Lebanon, and Lebanon only.

Beginning in March, State Police Troop A of Alfred began full-time law enforcement in the town ending a longtime practice of cumbersome month-to-month rotations with the York County Sheriff’s Office.

The troopers assigned to Lebanon are enjoying having a single town to be assigned to, and the residents of Lebanon are enjoying a consistency of law enforcement they haven’t seen in a long time.

“Oh I see them all the time, you better not speed by here,” said a waitress at Stokewoods Diner on Saturday.

But it’s not just Route 202. Coflesky and Wells said they are excited about patrolling all areas of

the town, and reaching out to residents in any way possible. “The consistency is going to help us,” said Coflesky. “We’re getting to know the selectmen, the business owners. We’ll be here all the time, so we’ll get to know people.”

Wells said getting to know the residents makes all the difference in law enforcement.

“Once residents get to know us they can actually approach us, they’ll see us at a store or gassing up and say something’s shady going on at this residence or someone’s selling dope,” he said. “You get a lot more intel than you do when you’re rotating.”

Lt. Louis Nyitray, commander of Troop A, said the three troopers are "enjoying the fact they’re in a set town and taking pride in ownership of the area to ensure they provide the best public service to the community.”

Trooper Jamie Fenderson, the third trooper dedicated to the town, is moving on to a different division in mid-May, but another officer, Trooper Adam Schmidt, is already preparing to replace him, Nyitray said.

If any Lebanon resident has concerns or business regarding State Police coverage of Lebanon they should contact Sgt. Jonathan Shapiro at the Alfred barracks at 459-1333, or the 24-hour business line at 657-3030.

As always, in the event of an emergency, dial 911.