LIVERMORE FALLS – During the July 16 Select Board meeting, Police Chief Ibrahim “Abe” Haroon reported that the office has been particularly busy lately.

Aside from the recent surge of phone calls and paperwork, the station has also been hosting local events to strengthen the community and promote public safety. A recent event that Haroon led was an active shooter training at Camp Good News in Livermore. He also took part in the local parades as well as monitoring Fourth of July fireworks. Haroon recently created a new Facebook page for the Livermore Falls Police Department, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561641924297 so that members of the community can become better connected with news and events.

Haroon mentioned there was an event in Vassalboro July 17 where anyone interested in law enforcement would be able to take an aptitude test called an “ALERT examination.” This written test used to determine the reading and writing level of applicants is the first step in becoming a police officer, he said. Following this test would be a physical fitness test, he stated. For anyone who passes these tests, agencies will be able to reach out to them for hiring, he said. Haroon said he would be there with flyers and pins, ready to recruit more officers for the Livermore Falls Police Department.

He also shared with the Select Board that there are currently three candidates undergoing thorough background investigations.

“The background [checks] for prospective officers are very detailed,” Haroon said. He explained that candidates attend a physical background investigation which takes 14 days to complete. If they pass, they will need to take a polygraph examination to confirm their background, he stated. After that, they will need to complete a psychiatric evaluation to make sure that they are fit to become an officer and that it takes a total of three to four weeks to complete in total, Haroon said. He said at the station candidates are asked to start with their phase 1 certification, then phase 2 training will be provided and paid for by the town.

According to Haroon, there were two other candidates as well, but they were eliminated from the hiring process because they didn’t pass the initial background check. He said that this could happen due to a criminal history that isn’t forgivable by the State or the department’s standards, or even due to a Facebook post that is unfavorable. “Not only do we got to find the right individual, but we got to find the right individual very clean,” said Haroon.

Haroon’s goal, upon passing these trainings and exams is for the three new candidates to attend the Police Academy in January. He said that there are three phases of training, and that he will be working closely with the candidates throughout these trainings. They will complete front end training in order to understand policies and routines within the department, he stated. During that time Haroon also wants them to spend two or three days with dispatchers to learn how they work and to build a rapport for smooth and empathetic communication in the future.

Then there will be at least 40 hours of training and tests that the officers-in-training will have to pay for themselves. Then comes the two week phase 2 training that they will complete outside of the police department.

After that, the new recruits will learn how to fill out paperwork, follow updates in the law, learn how to handle domestic violence, and do proper traffic stops, sobriety tests, and correct radar use. It is after all of this training that the new recruits will attend Police Academy in order to learn the laws and how to enforce them correctly. After they test out of the academy, they will be prepared to work as acting police officers in Livermore Falls.

The Select Board members thanked Haroon for his hard work and told him to keep doing what he is doing. “I’m trying to make the department a great place to be,” Haroon said. “And I really feel that it is.”