Damariscotta Police Department Patrol Officer Jennifer Mitkus will leave July 25, after almost nine years on the job, for a position as a probation officer.
Mitkus’ career in Damariscotta actually dates to the tenure of late Police Chief George Hutchings, who hired the 20-year-old college student as a parking enforcement officer.
At the time, Jennifer Doe was studying biology at the University of Maine at Orono and parking duty “was just a summer job,” she said.
Later, she became a reserve officer under Hutchings and former Police Chief Todd Brackett.
“Through working here, I realized I enjoyed it and every day had the potential to be different and it was more hands-on,” she said in a July 12 interview at the station.
She worked briefly for the Boothbay Harbor Police Department as a bicycle officer in the summer of 2003 before former Damariscotta Police Chief Steve Drake brought her on as a full-time patrol officer in September of the same year.
She completed the 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and got to work.
Although Drake and his successor, Police Chief Chad Andrews, have praised her skills as an investigator, Mitkus said she finds the most satisfaction elsewhere.
“I enjoy the fact that sometimes you get to help people,” she said. “You’re not always investigating crimes.”
When she responds to any incident, major or minor, she strives to make an often-stressful experience a little easier for the complainant, whether a motorist in a fender-bender or the victim of a crime.
She’s the only active, full-time Damariscotta officer who has worked under Hutchings, Brackett, Drake and Andrews – every police chief in the department’s history.
Although she only reported to Hutchings for a single summer, she remembers the town’s first police chief as a kind man with a good sense of humor and as a public servant “who loved the town and was completely dedicated to the job.”
Drake was chief for the majority of Mitkus’ career in Damariscotta. A former homicide detective and assistant crime lab director with the Maine State Police, Drake exerted the most influence on her as a police officer.
“We were all very fortunate to work under Chief Drake,” Mitkus said. “We obviously got to take advantage of his skills and he was a great mentor and teacher.”
Mitkus will start her new position, as a Department of Corrections probation officer based in Rockland, July 30.
As a probation officer, she’ll monitor a number of individuals on probation and ensure their compliance with probation conditions.
“It was something that I’ve always been interested in,” Mitkus said. “We work with some great probation officers here,” she said, and her observation of those officers at work sparked her interest.
Although she’ll work out of a Rockland office, Mitkus has strong ties to Lincoln County and no intention to leave.
A native of Newcastle, her parents, Louis and Judy Doe, are the proprietors of Louis L. Doe Home Center, the hardware and pet store affectionately known to locals as Louis Doe’s or just Doe’s.
Her elder siblings, Mark Doe and Ellen McFarland, are active in local government and emergency services.
Mitkus, meanwhile, volunteers alongside her sister on the committee that cares for Newcastle’s Veterans Memorial Park, a position that goes well with her hobby of gardening and enjoyment of the outdoors.
Although holding public office runs in the family, it doesn’t interest Mitkus. She’s dedicated to her new position, and wherever law enforcement might take her in the future, she said, it won’t be to a chief’s or sheriff’s office.
As she prepares to transition into her new role, she reflected on her time in Damariscotta.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here,” she said, and she’ll miss her coworkers and the people in the community she interacts with on a daily basis. “I work with a great group of people, both in the police department and upstairs in the town office,” she said.
The feeling is mutual, as any Damariscotta officer will testify.
“She’s an excellent investigator. She’s very well-liked by the public,” Chief Andrews said. “We’re sorry to lose her.”
Mitkus’ strong work ethic and people skills serve her well in the line of duty, Andrews said. “She has all the qualities you need to be a great patrol officer and she has been from the beginning.”
Andrews said he and his officers are disappointed to see Mitkus go, but wish her the best in her new position.
Mitkus has also earned the respect of many in the community.
Gary and Jane Gravel own Hilltop Stop and a number of other local businesses.
Gary Gravel said Mitkus has impressed them with her professionalism and with her willingness to go above and beyond to address their concerns, however major or minor.
When Hilltop Stop has had the occasional drive-off – a customer who leaves without paying for their gas – Mitkus has reviewed security camera footage and, in multiple cases, located the suspect.
Another time, when Gravel called the police department about a man wandering around town without a shirt or shoes in mid-winter, Mitkus responded and was able to help the man, who turned out to be suffering from a health issue.
Mitkus’ dedication to the job helps give business owners peace of mind, at work or away, Gravel said. “We appreciate it,” he said.
Mitkus lives in Newcastle with her husband, Boothbay Harbor Police Officer Jared Mitkus.
