Maine Crime In The Past 12 Months Has Been Out Of Control

It seems as though the world is getting crazier. At last check 53 pharmacy robberies in Maine so far in 2012. The story that sickens me the most right now is the one about the 3 year old boy in New Hampshire. Just this week a 26 year old was shot and killed out side of a Waterville night club. How senseless.  How about the recent standoffs in Lewiston Auburn? A few months back, a guy held police

for hours in a Lewiston cemetery. The purse snatcher at The Shaw’s Plaza on Center St. in Auburn a few weeks ago and the most recent standoff outside of a Lewiston motel just last night.

We’re almost at the one year anniversary of the disappearance of Ayla Reynolds. In that case there is still no word publicly of progress and it’s been some time since the last Waterville PD press conference.

Is this the new normal for one of the safest states to live in?

It really is scary. I used to work at a convenience store back in the mid 90's while working for a radio station in Brewer. In that year or so I was working there I think we may have had two incidences of shoplifting and a few “drive offs.” Drive offs are people who pump gas and don’t come into pay. Yes back then we let people pump first. I’m not sure if I’d ever work customer service overnight ever again. I did get robbed at a store I worked in about 20 years ago. I was distracted buy a girl. It was almost time to leave and count the till so I had the safe open. A woman walks in at about 7:45 am. She asked me to look out back for boxes and while I did, her accomplice came in and went behind the counter and took cigarettes and cash. In total, if I recall, it was a bout $600 in cash and another $600 in cigarettes. Lesson learned that night. It was fairly traumatic, but there was no weapon or violence. That was also in a bigger city and in an area that was somewhat iffy.

I have ideas like everyone else but no real solutions. For the pharmacies, it may be time to put up the bulletproof glass between the drugs and the customers. Similar to what it’s like when you go to the box office at the Civic Center. I know drugs must have a lot to do with what’s happening lately, just very sad. As a parent of three children growing up in this crazy world all you can do is hope they make the correct choices and don’t get hurt by those that don’t.