Maine Marine Patrol

Maine Marine Patrol
Agency overview
Headquarters Augusta, Maine, United States
Employees 50 (2015)[1]
Agency executives
  • Colonel Jonathan Cornish, Chief
  • Major Rene Cloutier, Deputy Chief
Parent department Department of Marine Resources
Website maine.gov/dmr/marine-patrol/

The Maine Marine Patrol is a maritime police service in the United States State of Maine. It claims to be the oldest law enforcement agency in Maine.

History

In 1867 Maine first employed "commissioners of fisheries", law enforcement officers charged with enforcement of fishing regulations in the state.[2] By 1870 the title of this office had been changed to "fisheries warden"; over the next 60 years the number of fisheries wardens employed by Maine increased to more than 30.[2] Following World War II the title of the office was again changed, to "coastal warden". Coastal wardens were organized into the Coastal Warden Service.[2] In 1978 the force was reconstituted under its current name of Maine Marine Patrol.[2]

The Maine Marine Patrol is responsible for enforcement of state and federal fishing regulations in coastal and tidal areas of Maine, providing maritime security inside Maine territorial waters, and coordinating maritime search and rescue operations.[3] It also supports the Maine State Police in "tactical boardings of vessels at sea or in port".[4]

Through an agreement with the United States Customs and Border Protection, the Maine Marine Patrol assists in border protection in the "grey zone", an area including Machias Seal Island which is the object of a two-century old territorial dispute between the United States and Canada.[4][5] Since 2015 it has quadrupled the number of officers assigned to the grey zone due to a perceived increase in the potential for violence in the area.[6]

Organization and training

As of 2017, the Maine Marine Patrol is operationally divided into six geographic sections, each staffed by seven marine patrol officers.

Resources

The Maine Marine Patrol deploys one fixed wing aircraft, six patrol boats, and a number of land vehicles.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Crosby, Craig (January 9, 2015). "Maine Marine Patrol promotes Cornish to chief". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Morris, Daniel. "History of Marine Patrol". maine.gov. State of Maine. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Since 1869". maine.gov. State of Maine. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Trotter, Bill (December 2, 2017). "The state wants to buy a new Marine Patrol boat to beef up port security". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ Schwartz, Zane (July 22, 2015). "The tiny islands where Canada and America are at war". Maclean's. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  6. ↑ Abel, David (May 28, 2015). "US, Canadian fishermen at war over lobster waters". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
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