The Damariscotta Police Dept. hired former Two Bridges Regional Jail corrections officer and part-time patrol officer Devin Polizzotti to join the department full-time Aug. 8.
Polizzotti, 23, of Bath, began pursuing a career in law enforcement immediately after his 18th birthday. He applied for the job at the jail, completed training and signed up for college classes.
At Two Bridges, Polizzotti met fellow corrections officers Tyson Fait and Jason Warlick, both of whom he has joined in Damariscotta.
He also met Sgt. James Fields, a former Marine and jail supervisor who became a mentor to Polizzotti.
Polizzotti credits the veteran officer with instilling the communication skills and mental readiness necessary for law enforcement.
Fields imparted a philosophy borrowed from the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie “Road House.”
“I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice,” Swayze’s character said in the movie. As the character explains, he expects his crew to be firm yet polite, sometimes in the face of belligerence or resistance, until “it’s time to not be nice.”
As soon as Polizzotti became eligible at age 21, he completed law enforcement pre-service training, the 100-hour course necessary to work as a road officer.
In March, Damariscotta hired Polizzotti as a part-time officer. He picked up regular shifts at the short-staffed department and earned praise for his work from Police Chief Chad Andrews.
The department brought Polizzotti on full time shortly after the July resignation of veteran officer Jennifer Mitkus.
“I really like working the road,” Polizzotti said in a Sept. 17 interview at the station.
He continues to study at the University of Maine at Augusta with a goal of graduating with an associate degree in justice studies and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
As for the future, he said he enjoys working in the community too much to move into an administrative role anytime soon, although he might like to be a detective or supervisor.
“I like helping people and I like the feeling of helping people,” he said. When a police officer is able to help someone who is in “a desperate situation,” it’s a rewarding experience, he said.
“Even if you can help one person, that’s why you do it,” he said.