FARMINGTON – Patrolman Christopher Chase is parking his police car and going back to school.

This time, instead of hitting the books, he’ll be taking to the halls to make sure all is well at Mount Blue High School, the largest high school in Franklin County with a student body of about 900.

Chase, 29, was named Friday afternoon to succeed former school resource officer Shane Campbell, who moved on to a job with Hancock County Sheriff’s Department this month.

Campbell had been a presence at the school since 2000. District officials, like Principal Greg Potter, say that since then student infractions have declined and students feel more comfortable around police.

“I definitely think this program has a huge impact,” Potter said.

The school officer program was started in 1997 with grant money from the federal Safe and Drug Free Schools program and administered by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse.

Last spring when that grant wasn’t renewed, Farmington police applied for and received a Community Oriented Policing Services grant for $125,000. That pays for an officer in the school over the next three years, with the stipulation that the district would pay for the policing services the fourth year, a figure pegged in the mid-$30,000 range.

The plainclothes officer focuses on issues at the high school, but is available to help out at any SAD 9 school.

A 1993 graduate of Waterville High School, Chase served in the United States Army before beginning a law enforcement career as a corrections officer for the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, according to his biography on the department’s Web site.

Chase then began working as a reserve patrolman for the Winslow Police Department, before getting hired to work as a full-time patrolman in Wilton.

After a year in Wilton, in February 2000, Chase was offered a full-time patrolman position at the Farmington Police Department and has been there ever since.

He is a 1999 graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, the bio reads, and enjoys fishing, snowmobiling, shooting and Winston Cup racing.

Farmington Chief Richard E. Caton III said two in-house officers expressed interest in taking the post left vacant by Campbell.

So, the department with help from administrators at the high school conducted a round of oral boards and by Friday afternoon, had picked Chase.

“He came out on top,” Caton explained. “He’s a hard worker and he shows a desire to learn. I think he’ll be a good fit with the school and hopefully do a good job working with the students.”

“We were very impressed with Chris’s credentials, his energy and his enthusiasm,” Potter said, adding Chase has done some youth sports coaching in the past.

“He’s the type of person who is always looking for a new challenge.”

Chase will see no pay increase at this time and as far as the union is concerned, will still be classified as a patrolman, Caton explained.

The vacancy left by Chase will not be filled until Caton receives direction from selectmen and the town manager. For the short term, he said the void isn’t a major one, noting officers often are gone on vacation and that service to the public will not be affected.

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