At a public meeting in Lewiston Tuesday night, residents told the city administrator that as the search continues for a new police chief, they want more community outreach and better protection for children and immigrants.
The city launched a search for its next police chief after David St. Pierre announced his retirement this month. The new chief will oversee a staff of over 80 officers.
Lewiston resident Asha Mohamed addressed the crowd of about a dozen people while holding her infant son. She said people of color often fear Lewiston police and immigrants don't use emergency services for fear of being detained.
"I'm not a bad person. I've had a clean history, but yet every time I get pulled over, I just feel like I'm on attack mode," Mohamed said. "I just feel like a criminal automatically. I just feel like there should be different approaches, so we feel safer."
Other residents called for officers to visit public schools and youth centers and for the department to be faster about releasing information about violent crime.
"Knowing that these kids are able to go to these officers if there's something that they need to talk to them about," said Katie Krantz, a teacher at Lewiston Public Schools. "I'd love to see the chief, whether it's a male or a female, whomever it is, have that relationship with these kids."
Lewiston City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath said candidate interviews will begin in September and a final decision should be made by the end of October.
"It was great to hear about the same concerns I had going into this, they all got reinforced tonight," Kaenrath said. "We heard about wanting police to go about their jobs in a friendlier, community-oriented way not just in a law-enforcement capacity."
According to the department's annual report, Lewiston police responded 50,000 calls and made over 2,500 arrests in 2024.
