BREWER, ME – During a podcast appearance in late August, the Brewer Police chief claimed that issues revolving around drugs and crime impacting the state of Maine can draw a direct line to progressive policies plaguing the criminal justice system, such as no-cash bail and general soft-on-crime policies.
On August 30th, Brewer Police Chief Christopher Martin appeared on the Q-Point podcast alongside Brewer Mayor Michelle Daniels, with the police chief diving into the progressive iterations of criminal justice reform that wind up causing more harm to the public than good.
Whether it’s the likes of no-cash bail that turn county jails into revolving doors for petty offenders to go right back to business as usual, the lack of penalization for drug offenders impacting externalities from addiction-fueled crimes, or clogged-up emergency rooms, Chief Martin says law-abiding citizens are always left holding the proverbial bag.
“We’re putting the burden and the onus on the people that are law-abiding and peace-loving people, who now have to carry the extra burden of criminal behavior,” Chief Martin stated, adding, “So whether that’s higher prices because Walmart’s losses have gone through the roof, or whether that’s longer waiting times in the emergency rooms or walk-in care, higher insurance premiums, it’s all passed on and absorbed at some point.”
When it comes to no-cash bail, which Maine passed a version of back in 2021 for various low-level offenses, Chief Martin explained that police within the state have largely no incentive to formally arrest alleged offenders who’d qualify for cashless bail since the arrest would be tantamount to an expedient round-trip. Instead, Chief Martin stated, officers will simply issue court summons, which are also likely to be ignored by said offenders.
“They’re repeat offenders, and there’s nothing that stops them. They never stay in jail,” Chief Martin stated, emphasizing, “They’re in, they’re out, they commit more crime, they’re in, they’re out, they commit more crime, so that one person may have four charges in one week.”
Meanwhile, in the realm of alternative soft-on-crime approaches, Chief Martin appeared to be preemptively exhausted at the prospect of “safe injection” sites, which have reportedly been discussed within Maine’s legislature to varying degrees. According to Chief Martin, safe injection sites are effectively open-air drug markets with government funding. He reiterated, “I think it would be a tragic mistake. If we look at where they’re happening everywhere else, they’re failures.”
The city of Brewer, which hosts a population just shy of 10,000 residents, has apparently seen an alarming increase in drugs, with Chief Martin noting that in the past five years alone, he’s seen drug busts from his department go from grams and ounces to literal pounds and kilograms. In Chief Martin’s mind, lawmakers are spending far too much time entertaining chaotic public policies instead of leaning toward more “common sense” legislation.
On August 30th, Brewer Police Chief Christopher Martin appeared on the Q-Point podcast alongside Brewer Mayor Michelle Daniels, with the police chief diving into the progressive iterations of criminal justice reform that wind up causing more harm to the public than good.
Whether it’s the likes of no-cash bail that turn county jails into revolving doors for petty offenders to go right back to business as usual, the lack of penalization for drug offenders impacting externalities from addiction-fueled crimes, or clogged-up emergency rooms, Chief Martin says law-abiding citizens are always left holding the proverbial bag.
“We’re putting the burden and the onus on the people that are law-abiding and peace-loving people, who now have to carry the extra burden of criminal behavior,” Chief Martin stated, adding, “So whether that’s higher prices because Walmart’s losses have gone through the roof, or whether that’s longer waiting times in the emergency rooms or walk-in care, higher insurance premiums, it’s all passed on and absorbed at some point.”
When it comes to no-cash bail, which Maine passed a version of back in 2021 for various low-level offenses, Chief Martin explained that police within the state have largely no incentive to formally arrest alleged offenders who’d qualify for cashless bail since the arrest would be tantamount to an expedient round-trip. Instead, Chief Martin stated, officers will simply issue court summons, which are also likely to be ignored by said offenders.
“They’re repeat offenders, and there’s nothing that stops them. They never stay in jail,” Chief Martin stated, emphasizing, “They’re in, they’re out, they commit more crime, they’re in, they’re out, they commit more crime, so that one person may have four charges in one week.”
Meanwhile, in the realm of alternative soft-on-crime approaches, Chief Martin appeared to be preemptively exhausted at the prospect of “safe injection” sites, which have reportedly been discussed within Maine’s legislature to varying degrees. According to Chief Martin, safe injection sites are effectively open-air drug markets with government funding. He reiterated, “I think it would be a tragic mistake. If we look at where they’re happening everywhere else, they’re failures.”
The city of Brewer, which hosts a population just shy of 10,000 residents, has apparently seen an alarming increase in drugs, with Chief Martin noting that in the past five years alone, he’s seen drug busts from his department go from grams and ounces to literal pounds and kilograms. In Chief Martin’s mind, lawmakers are spending far too much time entertaining chaotic public policies instead of leaning toward more “common sense” legislation.
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Comments
2025-09-08T14:38-0400 | Comment by: James
These legislators ARE THE PROBLEM! They need to be locked up with their drug using supporters! Maine, where criminals rule!