by Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett
and Bath Chief of Police Mike Field

We shower expectant mothers with all the blankets, diapers and bibs they need to welcome their babies into the world. But for some families, that is not enough. Many need special support to understand their children’s health and safety needs and to develop basic parenting skills. Without this support, thousands of Maine’s children face a heightened risk of abuse and neglect that can endanger their lives.

That’s a key message from the Maine Children’s Alliance, which reports that more than 4,000 children in Maine were substantiated victims of child abuse and neglect in 2012. This is an increase of more than 500 victims since last year’s report. And it reverses the trend of the previous two years, in which there were declining numbers of child victims of abuse and neglect.   It’s top of mind for the law enforcement community during April, which has been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, because so many of us have seen the impact of this abuse firsthand. And we also know from our experiences in the field, and from research, that the number of reported abuse and neglect cases is just a fraction of the actual incidents since this particular crime is historically underreported.

Music
Each month at the DRA (Damariscotta River Association) Round Top Farm location in Damariscotta, there is an Open Mic session. I have been playing there with some regularity for the last couple of years. It is a wonderful way for local artists to share their talents, exchange some passion, and experience a real sense of community.  It’s also a lot of good fun! I’ve noticed recently that Open Mics are starting up all over the midcoast. See our Calendar of Events each week for many of the Open Mics going on. There are many very talented people in our midst. Attending Open Mic sessions is a very low-cost way to experience the wonder of the musical art in our region.

Family
Last Friday, my sister Lauren and her husband Jim came for a visit from Long Island and stayed the weekend. I come from a close family, and my sister and I are particularly close, in part because we are very much alike. The older I get, the more I realize how important family and close friends are. We need our loved ones to lean on in life, especially when hard times hit.

I have often heard people say “life is precious,” and “don’t waste a minute of it.” Sometimes profound words fall on deaf ears. We’re busy, and it is difficult to think about paying the mortgage, the fuel bill, gas for the car, food for the family, taking care of as best we can our parents as they age and need our help more and more, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera – and to simultaneously be reflective about these important issues, remembering to stop and smell the roses, to accept that being right may not be as important as it once seemed, to be happy. Life is precious…

We got the call just as we returned home from the hospital where my wife had knee surgery. We thought at first it was about her father, who is nearing 90. I knew that was not it by her reaction on the phone. I knew it was something totally unexpected and horrific. She was hysterical, inconsolable. For a moment I was afraid that her sister Lorraine’s son had been shot and killed. He is a police officer in a very violent part of Delaware. It wasn’t until she got off the phone and through the sobbing and gasping told me it was Rich, her sister Lil’s husband.

On March 14, 2013, my brother-in-law, Rich Lorenzen, a man in seemingly good shape, an athlete, an active guy with an active job who played sports with his friends regularly, skated off the ice at the end of the game and collapsed. One of his teammates was a cardiologist and they had defibrillators on site. But at 51 years old, one of the dearest, kindest men I have ever known, who was loved by everyone who ever met him, who never had a bad word to say to or about anyone, died of a massive heart attack. No one saw it coming.