By Paul Sylvain

It wasn’t that long ago that the working relationship between the Machias Police Department and town officials was contentious at best. Selectboard meetings with past police chiefs and former board members were often confrontational and punctuated by fiery exchanges between both sides.

The Machias community at large was usually supportive of whoever the chief and the department’s officers were at the time; however, the same could not be said of the selectmen.