by John Dowd
Early this month the Stevensville Police Department moved into their new location in Stevensville Town Hall. The move was overseen by new interim chief, Todd Schafer, who took over the project from the previous police chief, Mac Sosa. However, Schafer said that he will not be sticking around much longer, either.
On August 28, in a single day, the Stevensville Police Department commenced with a monumental move into their new space, in Town Hall. “It was one crazy day,” said Schafer. Things were prepackaged ahead of time, and the move went mostly smoothly. According to Schafer, the only concern has been the phone lines and the internet connection. They are set up to use a new, more modern system. However, they have been making do with the old one while things get sorted out. The department hoped to have the problem fixed before the publication of this article, and Schafer wanted to thank everyone for their patience in the meantime.
The move will save the Town over $12,000 a year. That is the estimated annual cost of rent and utilities that the department needed to stay in their previous space. The new space is taking over a portion of Town Hall, with a 10×30 expansion built into the fire department. The total space is now around 600 square feet. The department now includes an officer’s room, a front office and a chief’s office, which doubles as an interview room.
The expansion cost over $10,000, 99% of which was raised by the department’s annual Chili Cook-off. “We wouldn’t have been able to do anything without the community’s assistance. The town has been awesome!” said Schafer. Schafer and Sosa did a lot of the expansion themselves, and Town employees did painting and other things, bringing down the cost of the expansion significantly.
Former Police Chief Sosa stepped away at the end of August, and Schafer was sworn in officially on Sept. 15. However, Schafer’s run as chief may be short-lived. So far, the Town is quietly looking for a new chief and Schafer, being interim, is keeping the seat warm. Schafer said that, for personal reasons, he may not be staying long, but he wants to keep the department foundation strong. He was impressed with the way Sosa led the department and has been trying to keep that spirit alive.
To both of them, a department is like a family. They both find it important to maintain that atmosphere because the job can be extremely demanding. Schafer said policing often pits officers against scenarios where they wonder, “how could a human being do this?” In these cases, he explained that it is common that these moments hit an officer so hard that they hang up their badge. In his time, he explained, “I have had at least one of those experiences, but I persevered through them.” It is important to him, and so was to Sosa, to have that open communication if another officer needs to come to talk about anything on the job , or in life. They say that family dynamic, “means everything.”
With that in mind, Schafer expressed that he would like to stay on until the next chief, to help phase them into the seat. That, or at least “come back and help,” he said.
Currently, the position is filled, but Schafer is unaware of how long he will be there. He was clear that the heart of the department will remain intact. They will continue their community events, and maintain their involvement in the public. In fact, they are more excited than ever for their upcoming Shop with a Cop event, in early December. The event takes underserved youth out on a Christmas shopping spree with an officer for the youth’s family. Schafer foresees that event becoming bigger than ever.
More information about the department and their events can be found on their Facebook page, Stevensville Police Department.