LEWISTON – For more than two decades, James Perkins watched over the city streets. He started as a beat cop, worked as a detective handling felony crimes and later focused his attention on targeting drugs and prostitution. At the end of his career, he was a police lieutenant working a day shift.

Michael McGonagle meanwhile, worked as a homicide and rape profiler as well as investigating cases of child abuse. Then he took over the daunting task of police department spokesman.

Now Perkins is retiring and McGonagle is moving up through the ranks.

Police Chief William Welch announced those significant changes. Perkins has retired after 24 years on the force. McGonagle has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and a new officer has been hired.

Perkins started his career with the Lewiston police force as a patrol officer. He later became a detective and then supervised the Selective Enforcement Team, which targeted narcotics and prostitution. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1997.

McGonagle joined the force in 1989. He was promoted to sergeant in 1998 after serving as a detective. Most recently, he has served as the department’s community relations officer, handling relations with the media.

To fill the gap, Welch has hired a new officer to begin work with the patrol division.

Officer Dereck St. Laurent, 21, is attending the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. A lifelong resident of Lewiston, he attended Norwich University in Vermont and obtained an associates degree in criminal justice from Andover College.