A National Guardsman fresh off a deployment to Afghanistan has joined the Damariscotta Police Department. Erick Halpin started work as a reserve officer Oct. 6.
Halpin, 42, serves as a sergeant in the 488th Military Police Company of the Maine Army National Guard. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, where he spent a year mentoring Afghan police officers north of Kabul.
Halpin has been in the National Guard for 4 1/2 years. He also brings about five years of experience as a corrections officer at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset and another year-plus with the Phippsburg Police Department.
He enjoys law enforcement. “I love helping people,” he said, and he likes to meet people from all walks of life. He also appreciates the unpredictable nature of the job. “It’s exciting,” he said. “Every call is different.”
Halpin grew up in Phippsburg and graduated from Phippsburg Elementary School, Bath Junior High, and The Community School in Camden. He lives in Phippsburg with his wife and child.
