Saying it was “best for the town,” Lt. John Allen of the Wiscasset Police Dept. is hanging up his badge after nearly 25 years of service.
Allen announced his decision publicly at an April 19 Wiscasset Board of Selectmen meeting after apologizing to the board for his lack of professionalism surrounding a police department budget dispute.
“My passion for the police department got the better of me,” Allen said. “My emotions took charge.”
Allen said after the incident, he needed to step back and understand the select board was “doing the best they can with the information they have.”
“I made the comments in public so I felt like I wanted to apologize in public,” Allen said.
At a March 29 board meeting, Allen challenged each selectmen to provide him with an explanation as to why a request for a new police cruiser was being denied.
The heated exchange culminated with Chairman David Nichols telling Allen that the “board would not be bullied.”
While Allen would not formally declare the incident a tipping point, he said he had been thinking of retiring for quite some time citing the general changes inherent with the position.
“I have decided to retire in a little bit more than a month,” Allen told the board. “I hope this decision will help the town move on and make some good decisions for the police department.”
After the announcement, Nichols said “on behalf of the town, I would like to thank you for the years of service.”
“We hate to see you go,” continued Nichols. “This is your decision.”
Town Manager Laurie Smith thanked Allen for “going out of his way” to help during the police department’s transition and that he always had the departments best interest at heart.
As for the future, Allen said in a April 20 interview with The Lincoln County News that he was planning on taking the summer off to hike and spend time with his wife.
“I was looking to do this now while I’m relatively young and healthy,” said the 49-year-old Allen. “This is a young person’s war. I see in the news there seems to be an officer killed everyday.”
Allen, who said he had worn a police uniform since February 1982, will retire in June as the longest serving officer in the history of Wiscasset.
