The Damariscotta Select Board confirmed the appointment of Erik Josephson as the town’s next police chief during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Town Manager Andy Dorr’s appointment of Josephson and the board’s subsequent confirmation follows a months-long search for a new police chief following the Aug. 1, 2025 departure of Jason Warlick, who resigned to become the chief deputy of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
Phil Tessier, who was a member of the Damariscotta Police Department from 2020 until his retirement in April 2025, stepped in as interim police chief to assist in the transition period.
Josephson, who attended the meeting from his home in Rhode Island via Zoom, said he hopes to begin next week, but said his official start date may have to be delayed until the week of Jan. 22 due to scheduled appointments.
Josephson said he plans on making time to sit down with members of the department to discuss the needs of the town.
“Now I just need to make the time to sit down with everybody and find out what their needs are,” Josephson said. “I have to sit down and listen to the specifics.”
Josephson began his career as an officer in 1986, serving as a special officer of the Cumberland Police Department in Cumberland, R.I.
After five years, he joined the Woonsocket Police Department in Woonsocket R.I., where he served as a reserve police officer. In 1992, Josephson was assigned to the gang task force to handle gang activity within the city of Woonsocket and the state of Rhode Island.
He moved to the Lincoln Police Department in Lincoln, N.H., in 2002, where he served as operations commander and sergeant.
After a two-year gap to care for a family member battling cancer, Josephson became a sergeant for the city of Franklin Police Department in Franklin, N.H. in 2006. He then served as sergeant and supervisor for the Gang Intelligence Interdiction at the St. Albans City Police Department in St. Albans, Vt., from 2008-2018.
From February 2018 through June 2019, Josephson was the chief of police for the Egremont Police Department in Egremont, Mass. He also served as the town’s harbormaster.
In 2021, he was appointed to a one-year contract as chief of police for the Winchester Police Department in Winchester, N.H.
Since 2022, he’s been the owner and managing director of First Step LEC LLC, a law enforcement consulting practice that specializes in executive recruitment, background investigations, process and policy review, and third-party external investigations.
The next select board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Damariscotta town office. For more information, call 563-5168 or go to damariscotta.maine.gov.
