Police to display confiscated guns
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
FAIRFIELD — Police Chief John L. Emery is scheduled to come armed to the teeth to the regular meeting of the Town Council at 7 tonight at the Community Center.
Emery will have a rifle, a shotgun — even a fully automatic 45-caliber Uzi-like machine gun, according to Town Manager Paul Blanchette.
"They're coming in with weapons they have confiscated over the last two years," Blanchette said. "They're going to show them to the council to see what's being taken off our streets."
Blanchette said the show-and-tell is designed as an educational tool to let town officials know what is going on in Fairfield and how the Police Department is handling local crime.
The guns were seized in a police raid, in December 2001, at the home of Richard W. Elian of Middle Road.
Elian, then 44, later was indicted on charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, marijuana, and trafficking in dangerous knives. He also faced criminal forfeiture of $950 in cash and criminal forfeiture of the firearms.
Blanchette said the practice in town so far has been to sell confiscated firearms to out-of-state gun dealers, but the presence of the fully-automatic gun is different.
"The machine gun we'd like to destroy," he said Tuesday. "We'd really like to see those off the streets."
The plan, according to the town manager is to bring the machine gun, described as being manufactured by Jersey Arms Works, to the town Public Works Department to be destroyed.
"We'll take it to public works to cut it up with a torch," Blanchette said.
Proceeds from the sale of the other guns will be kept by the town to bolster the police reserve fund, he said.
In other action scheduled for tonight, town councilors plan to adopt a new domestic violence policy, one being suggested around the state by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
Blanchette said the only difference to the policy currently on the books is the updated language.
Councilors also will discuss for approval new contracts for a new line striper for the Public Works Department and a 2003 4-by-4 pickup truck for the Police Department.
The pickup truck will cost the town $20,500, including finance charges over three years, according to Blanchette. Initial spending will be taken from the current budget.
The line striper will cost $5,000 and it, too, will be paid for from the current budget.
Councilors also are scheduled to sign the warrant for the annual town meeting next month.
Doug Harlow — 861-9244
dharlow@centralmaine.com