The Damariscotta Police Dept. hired Jason Warlick, 32, as its newest full-time officer March 14.
Warlick has worked at the department as a reserve officer since November 2011.
A former corrections officer at Two Bridges Regional Jail, his seven-year law enforcement career also includes stints as a reserve in the Freeport and Waldoboro police departments and, most recently, as a full-time officer with the Wiscasset Police Dept.
Warlick completed his law enforcement pre-service training, a 100-hour course, at York County Community College.
A friend and mentor, the late Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Ackley, inspired in Warlick the desire to become a police officer.
“He showed me the definition of helping people,” Warlick said.
Ackley, who died in December 2011, taught Warlick about community policing and Warlick said he tries to put his mentor’s lessons into action.
For example, Warlick said he often approaches citizens walking their dogs just to offer a dog treat and make conversation. He said he tries to change people’s notions about police officers and improve the sometimes adversarial citizen-officer relationship.
Warlick lives in Wiscasset and describes himself as the responsible, single father of a five-year-old daughter.
The hiring of Warlick fills a vacancy left by the resignation of Adam Lewis, who left the department for a position with Maine Yankee.
The Lincoln County News recently profiled Lewis, who worked as a U.S. State Dept. contractor in Afghanistan before coming to Damariscotta (see “Damariscotta Police officer battled corruption, survived ambushes in Afghanistan” in the Feb. 9 edition).
Lewis was also the president of the department union, the Damariscotta Police Benevolent Association.
The department has also hired another reserve to take Warlick’s place.
Devin Polizzotti, 22, of Bath, a former Two Bridges Regional Jail corrections officer, started work March 20.
