As Gunfire and Fear Grip Lewiston, Police Chief Carly Conley Takes Action While City Leaders Remain Quiet

LEWISTON, Maine  — As gunfire continues to erupt across Lewiston and residents grow increasingly fearful for their safety, Lewiston Police Chief Carly Conley is taking a far more visible and aggressive role in addressing the violence than many of the city’s elected leaders.

Over the past several weeks, Lewiston has seen a troubling increase in shootings, including incidents involving juveniles and children. Residents have repeatedly packed city council meetings demanding answers, stronger policing, and immediate action as concerns over public safety intensify across the city.

But while Mayor Carl Sheline and Scott Harriman, who simultaneously serves as a state representative, city councilor, and school committee member, have largely avoided publicly confronting the issue, Conley and her command staff are moving aggressively to respond.

Both Sheline and Harriman have faced criticism from residents frustrated by what many see as silence during a rapidly escalating public safety crisis. At recent city council meetings, residents emotionally described fear spreading through neighborhoods as gun violence becomes more common. Despite those concerns, neither official has forcefully addressed the violence publicly, and both have avoided questions from this reporter regarding the recent shootings and growing unrest.

Conley, meanwhile, is leading from the front.

In a public statement released this week, the Lewiston Police Department acknowledged the severity of the recent violence.

“Over the past month, the City of Lewiston has experienced a concerning increase in shooting incidents,” the department said. “The Lewiston Police Department remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of our residents and maintaining order within our community.”

The department said it immediately began strategically reallocating personnel and resources to increase police visibility throughout the city and proactively patrol areas identified as hotspots for violence.

Police say those efforts are already producing measurable results.

“Our intensified focus over the past week has led to significant enforcement success,” the department stated.

According to police, officers arrested 15 individuals on violent and gun-related charges over the past week alone. Those arrests included 12 juveniles and three adults.

Police also recovered seven firearms, four of which had been reported stolen.

The department said it is combining increased saturation patrols with advanced investigative and technological tools in an effort to disrupt violent activity before additional shootings occur.

Police also highlighted close coordination with the Androscoggin District Attorney’s Office and Juvenile Community Corrections Officers as part of the enforcement effort.

“In a six-day period, Juvenile Community Corrections Officers have authorized 11 detentions of juveniles,” the statement said.

The numbers underscore a growing concern among residents and law enforcement alike over the involvement of juveniles in violent crime and firearm-related incidents.

Conley’s response comes after years of service within the Lewiston Police Department. A nearly 25-year veteran of the agency, she joined the department in 2001 and steadily rose through the ranks while serving in patrol, investigations, administration, and leadership positions. She later became the first female police chief in the department’s 164-year history.

Her leadership style has increasingly focused on visibility, proactive policing, community engagement, and rapid deployment of resources during public safety crises.

That leadership has not gone unnoticed inside City Hall.

City Councilors Bret Martel and Scott Nagine met Friday with Conley and members of her command staff to discuss the recent surge in gun violence and ongoing enforcement efforts.

The meeting comes as many residents continue demanding stronger leadership and more direct communication from elected officials amid growing concerns that the city is losing control of escalating violence.

While police emphasized that recent arrests represent progress, the department also made clear the situation remains ongoing.

“While these arrests represent a significant step forward, our work is not done,” the department stated. “We will continue to use every resource at our disposal to protect the City of Lewiston and hold those who choose violence accountable for their actions.”

For many residents watching the violence unfold in their neighborhoods, the contrast is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

As frustrated citizens demand accountability and answers, Lewiston’s police department is projecting urgency and action, while many of the city’s political leaders remain noticeably absent from the conversation.