Since 1854 Sagadahoc County Sheriff's department has been serving its residents with a mission of preventing crime and protecting life and property.

Though the Sheriff's office oversees the smallest county in Maine, they can still perform their law enforcement duties.

Here are more details on the department and the county jail it manages.

About Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department, Maine

The Sheriff's department is one of the seven departments of Sagadahoc county. Currently, it's under the stewardship of Sheriff Joel Merry. Other administrators include;

• Chief Deputy Brett Strout, who assists the Sheriff in running the department
• An Administrative Secretary who manages the day-to-day activities of the office, including clerical work
• A Records System Manager who is responsible for maintaining the office's records

The staff in the Sheriff's office ensures that it achieves its mission of serving its residents with respect, impartiality, and excellence. They also strive to gain the public's trust by conducting the department with high ethical standards.

The Sheriff's office has operational control over four divisions.

Sheriff's Department Divisions

• The Criminal Investigation Division - It's run by three detectives who handle investigations into all forms of crimes within Sagadahoc county's jurisdiction. They investigate robberies, assaults, drug crimes, and other serious offenses.
• The Patrol Division - It's responsible for policing Sagadahoc county. Its primary duties include being the first-line responders to accidents and crime scenes. It is also involved in various community events.

The division receives the largest share of law enforcement officers, including sergeants, corporals, and deputies, due to its extensive policing role.

• The Transport Division - Transporting inmates incarcerated to jail lies with the transport department. It also provides transportation for offenders to court, medical appointments, and bereavement visits. The division has four uniformed deputies trained by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
• The Civil Division - Its main duty is serving the general population of Sagadahoc in all matters relating to the county government's civil process. Among the requests, you can make include divorce summons, evictions, and any small claims paperwork.

In line with its commitment to serving its community, the Sheriff's office is also involved in various value addition projects run by external entities. They include;

• A veterans association - To cater to the county's war veterans' needs.
• Project Lifesaver - It uses technology to find people with mental health issues wandering off from their caregivers.
• Tip411 - Through this platform (available on iPhone and Android platforms), users can send anonymous tips to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office.

If you wish to inquire about additional services that the department offers, you can call the department at 207-443-8201 or fax at 207-443-8224. Alternatively, you can make a walk-in visit to the Sheriff's office at 752 High Street Bath.

Sagadahoc County Jail, Maine

The Sheriff's department houses offenders found guilty in most county Jurisdictions. In 2003, Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties agreed to a combined jail agreement. It relieved the Sheriff of his correctional duties though he received custody of offenders from the county's judicial system.

The 2003 Act under Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA c. 17 established the Lincoln and Sagadahoc Multi-County Jail Authority. It has a board of directors consisting of 12 members. Both Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties contribute six members to the board.

The Two Bridges Regional Jail

The multi-county jail authority manages the Two Bridges Regional Jail (TBRJ). The jail's location is at 522 Bath Road, Wiscasset, in Lincoln county. Its mission is to protect the public using effective prison management strategies such as employing qualified correctional staff.

It's under Colonel James Bailey, the correctional administrator, and Major William Frith, the Assistant Correctional Administrator. Other officials that help run the jail include;

• An Administrative Assistant
• A Special Projects Supervisor
• An Accounting Manager
• Support Services Supervisor
• An Assistant Support Services Supervisor
• A Classification Officer
• A Programs Officer

The correctional staff at the jail work to provide the following services to the inmates.

• Providing rehabilitative programs that impact the skills on inmates. The offenders can later use these skills to be productive even after the release
• Employing qualified correctional officers and deputies to handle inmates
• Running programs like anger management and substance abuse treatments to cater to inmates' mental health.
• Providing religious-based studies to help inmates get in touch with their spirituality.
• Providing a supervised workforce to assist in the community, for example, supervised parole.
• Implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). It's a federal law that seeks to eliminate sexual misconduct behaviors in correctional systems. TBRJ has zero tolerance for sexual assault and has provisions for reporting sexual harassment.
• Organizing community-related activities like the Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Maine Olympics.

How to Send Mail, Call or Visit an Inmate

Inmates at TBRJ can receive letters and postcards from friends and family at the jail. However, the jail forbids them from receiving mail from inmates in other correctional facilities. You can also call an inmate through GTL Communication Solutions, the jail's telecom provider.

The main form of visitation at the facility is through the Renovo Video Visitation software. An inmate's family can schedule a visit online and choose any of the allocated times. The facility doesn't record approved video visitations. The jail also allows legal visitation with a lawyer on site.