York Town News
Selectmen approve "Safe Zone" plan
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - The penalty for dealing drugs in town just got a lot tougher in areas that are known to be frequented by children.That is because the Board of Selectmen has given its full support to a plan proposed by the York Police Department to designate such areas as athletic fields, local beaches and the York Public Library as "Safe Zones" where enhanced penalties can be sought against those dealing drugs.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the proposal at its meeting on Monday, April 9.
Police Chief Douglas Bracy first presented the plan to the Board of Selectmen back on March 14, and Capt. Kevin LeConte attended the board's meeting this week to answer any question as the proposal came up for a formal vote.
"They're geared toward one thing and one thing only: toward people who are distributing drugs," LeConte said of the safe zones, adding, "We are 100 percent opposed to drug dealers in any place in this community. … Our job is to put an end to it."
In a prior interview, Bracy explained that state law allows any area frequented by minors to be designated as a safe zone, with enhanced penalties for drug trafficking within 1,000 feet of the property in an effort to protect children and teenagers from drug dealers.
York's new safe zones include such areas as the town and school fields, local parks and beaches, the Cliff Path, the Grant House and Mount Agamenticus, and LeConte confirmed that maps will be made available for the public to view, detailing the locations.
LeConte noted that the Legislature is also reviewing a plan to broaden the safe zone designation to include increased penalties for any sex offenses committed in the area.
Prior to the selectmen's vote, local resident Rick Boardman voiced concern about the scope of the proposal.
"There are laws out there right now for the offenses that are being targeted here," he said, adding later, "Is that really what we want to do? Put a significant part of town in a new set of laws?"
With strict penalties already in place, he questioned what the implications would be for "the sons and daughters of local residents."
LeConte clarified that the proposal applies only to individuals who are dealing drugs, and has no provision for stiffer penalties for possession of alcohol at all - or for possession of drugs without the intent to distribute those drugs. He said that if local residents are dealing drugs, they should expect to face stiff penalties based on the York Police Department's commitment to slowing the tide of drugs into town.
In other business, the selectmen unanimously approved amendments to the traffic safety ordinance and accepted the resignation of George Blackwell from the Senior Citizens Advisory Board with regret.
Town Manager Rob Yandow also announced an $8,000 gift from Stonewall Kitchen to the York Parks and Recreation Department Scholarship Fund to allow individuals who are unable to afford program fees the chance to participate.
