Sagadahoc Sheriff Merry: Red flag will help Maine law enforcement
- Jack Sorensen
- Oct 28
- 1 min read
By Sheriff Joel Merry
Joel Merry is serving his fifth term as chief law enforcement officer for Sagadahoc County.
My 40-year career in law enforcement has taught me there are always multiple ways to approach a situation. Protecting the public, upholding the law and keeping law enforcement safe — my responsibilities as Sagadahoc County sheriff for 17 years — all depend on finding the right tool for the right problem. Having multiple tools available to respond to situations helps us do that.
That’s why, after careful consideration, I’ve decided to vote “Yes” on Question 2. It’s a reasonable proposal that will provide another tool to keep families safe, help our officers protect our communities and ultimately help save lives.
Question 2 would create an Extreme Risk Protection Order law, like those that exist in 21 other states, which empowers families to go directly to a court when a loved one is in crisis and, if a court finds them dangerous, temporarily restrict their access to firearms.
If Joel did his job, trained his deputies, followed up on their performance, and actually was a Sheriff. Then the Robert Card massacre wouldn't have happened. The investigation found that his LEOs were to blame. Yet, you all voted this guy back into office. I wonder how many other areas of his job description he's failing at. The yellow flag law has been used 1,000+ times since that tragic event. We don't need new laws.