A Gorham Town Councilor said Tuesday police officers who are unhappy in the department should get jobs elsewhere.

Councilor Matthew Robinson was speaking in response to a report on the Gorham Police Department, released last week and presented to the council Tuesday, that revealed concerns about domestic violence issues, low morale, lack of transparency and favoritism within the department.

The report also showed that the outside perception of the police force – by town officials, residents and others – is overwhelmingly positive.

“Is there any talk of Cumberland County taking over Gorham?” Robinson said. “I’m a non-union guy. People are this unhappy, I don’t think they need to stay.”

Rick Dacri, whose Kennebunk firm Dacri & Associates conducted the study, said the intent was to assess the department’s needs before starting the process of hiring a new police chief. Issues of morale and leadership came up in response to the open-ended question: What’s it like working here?

The council approved paying $15,000 for the study after members of the council disagreed about whether the town should promote from within the department without conducting a search.

Lt. Christopher Sanborn has been serving as the interim chief and is considered a prime candidate to replace Ronald Shepard, who retired in November and is now a town councilor.

The report made public internal issues, including domestic violence allegations made against police officers and concerns about nepotism, favoritism and a lack of transparency in internal investigations.

In response to a request made by the Portland Press Herald under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, the town provided disciplinary letters written to two officers, one in August and one in April, 2012, for violating the department’s policy against domestic abuse.

In each letter, then-Chief Shepard said the department had a consultant conduct an internal investigation based on allegations made in temporary protection-from-abuse orders against an officer.

Shepard said he found Officer Mark Sanborn – the brother of the current interim chief – in violation of the department’s domestic abuse and professional conduct policies.

His punishment was the letter of reprimand sent on Aug. 25.

Sanborn’s wife, who filed the order, had already moved to have it dismissed.

Officer Dean Hannon was found in violation of the same departmental policies, as well as the town’s personnel policy, and was placed on a one-day unpaid leave on April 18, 2012.

Hannon said he fought the order in court, and it was dismissed by a judge.

Asked why there was a discrepancy between the punishments, Town Manager David Cole said he couldn’t comment on personnel matters.