WASHBURN, Maine — The town of Washburn has closed its police department after its interim chief stepped down.

The department closed temporarily on Feb. 29, according to Town Manager Donna Turner. There was no public notice of the closure on the town’s website or on social media.

Washburn, a town of about 1,500, is the latest small Aroostook County community to be without a police department. Limestone closed its station in 2023 and others have struggled with a lack of officers. Washburn police calls now go directly to the Houlton dispatch center and the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.