The recent articles on the Maine State Police by the Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News are quite alarming. I am a strong supporter of police officers, but it is clear that a change has to happen at the top of the MSP.

I feel for the many Maine troopers who are doing an excellent and honorable job at much less compensation than police receive in most other states. It is they who will be painted with a broad brush as bad.

It is time to right the ship. It is my feeling that the troopers union has been responsible for protecting troopers from facing appropriate punishment and corrective action including dismissal. As a former Massachusetts state trooper (a state police force undergoing similar charges of wrongdoings), I am disappointed in what has happened in both departments. The public deserves and should demand better.

Gov. Mills, please step up, first by acknowledging the problems and taking steps to bring honor back to the Maine State Police.

James Scanlan
Eliot