After 34 years of service to the Wiscasset Police Department, Sgt. Alfred “Willy” Simmons has submitted his packet to retire. His last day with the department will be Friday, Sept. 8.
The Wiscasset Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to accept the retirement with “deep regret” and a “sincere thank you for his service to Wiscasset.”
School Resource Officer Craig Worster has been promoted to sergeant, but will remain in his current position until a new school resource officer is found.
Simmons was raised in Wiscasset and began his career in law enforcement at the Wiscasset Police Department. He worked as a part-time police officer from 1983 until the late 1990s while also working at Maine Yankee.
When Maine Yankee closed, Simmons became a full-time officer with the department. In February 2016, Simmons was promoted to sergeant.
No other applicant could compete with Simmons’ knowledge of the community, then-Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline said at the time.
“The town of Wiscasset and the Wiscasset Police Department would like to thank Willy for all the dedicated years of community service and devotion,” Wiscasset Police Chief Jeffrey E. Lange said in a press release. “We wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Worster, a native Mainer, joined the Wiscasset Police Department in September 2016 after a long career with the Ridgefield Police Department in Connecticut, where he worked as a sergeant and detective before achieving the rank of lieutenant. Prior to joining the Ridgefield Police Department, Worster served nine years with the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army.
Worster began in Wiscasset as a permanent part-time police officer. He was promoted to full-time after Officer Nadean Crossley’s resignation and took on the role of school resource officer after Perry Hatch’s resignation.
“I look forward to the opportunity” to serve Wiscasset as sergeant, Worster said. “I’m looking forward to working with all the citizens and building trust.”
