Four chiefs have left the post under less than desirable circumstances.
NORWAY – Last week, Police Chief Timothy Richards became this town’s fourth consecutive top cop in 14 years to be fired or resign under a cloud of suspicion.

The trend started more than a decade ago, when then-Chief James DeNormandie was fired in 1990 after he admitted using cocaine.

His successor, Cathleen Manchester, was let go after an extended medical leave that resulted in twin lawsuits against the town, the first alleging the town violated her privacy and the second that the town blocked her from returning to work. She claimed in a separate action that she was sexually harassed by the town’s fire chief.

Next, police Lt. Alan Afflerbach, who had been filling in for Manchester, resigned as chief three years later while on administrative leave and under investigation by outside law enforcement officials.

And now Richards. He was suspended last month after a Norway officer he dated accused him of assaulting and harassing her. He also had been arrested in 2001 on an assault charge lodged by his ex-wife. On Thursday, selectmen announced their decision to fire him.
Only human
Three of the four chiefs have been investigated by outside law enforcement authorities.

“The numbers are unique” to the recollection of Brian MacMaster, long-serving chief of investigations at the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

Dating back nearly 15 years, rumors of periodic drug abuse and/or sexual harassment have swirled around the department.

Add to that rumblings over two local unsolved murders – one of them of a part-time Norway police officer – which, at one time, prompted questions among residents about police competence and even possible involvement.

Town Manager David Holt, who is charged with hiring and supervising the town’s police chief, blames it on a streak of bad luck. He said he sees no common thread causing the last four chiefs to leave in disgrace or under inauspicious circumstances. And for DeNormandie, Manchester and Afflerbach it ended their careers in law enforcement.

During a phone interview last week, Holt said personal flaws, such as drug use, ego and harassment habits, that could not be detected during the hiring process led to their eventual downfalls.

At least two of the three chiefs picked by him (Manchester and Richards) were given psychological exams and lie detector tests before they were hired, said Holt, Norway town manager for the last 15 years.

“I’m not sure what more we could have done.”

Afflerbach, who left police work and moved to Florida, said he has no explanation for the trend of troubled chiefs.

“It’s just one of them things, working in a small town, I guess. It’s not any one thing.” He said leaving Norway and that sort of job were just what he needed.

“I’m glad I left and got out of police work.” He declined to say how he now makes a living.

Attempts to reach Manchester, now a real estate broker working in greater Portland, and DeNormandie, who still lives in Norway, were unsuccessful.

Many townspeople interviewed at Main Street businesses agreed that fate appears to have played a major role in the town’s poor track record.

“We’ve not had very good luck with our police chiefs,” Kathy Parsons said while giving a trim to an Oxford man.

Inside the Cottage Barber Shop at the other end of Main Street, Mary Geisler said chiefs, after all, are only human. “I honestly don’t think one person alive has done one thing he hasn’t regretted.”

Lesley Dean, manager of L.F. Pike & Son clothing store, said the personal traits of a chief should not be confused with professional behavior.

“I think they made some bad judgments in their personal lives,” she said of Afflerbach and Richards. “That doesn’t mean you’re not effective in your job.” In fact, Dean, who lives in Stoneham, said she is happy with the quality of law enforcement provided Norway’s merchants.

Dean and others said Norway likely was not the only small town to experience problems with officials in authority.

“Probably if you went to any other town this same size you’d find something similar,” she said.

Dean’s father, Arthur Gouin, said that was not always the case.

A resident for all of his 75 years, Gouin said he could not recall any police chiefs in town leaving a taint on the job before DeNormandie.

He remembered back to the 1930s when the only law enforcement figure in Norway was a night watchman named Frank LaFrance, who rode around town on a motor scooter.

Gouin remembers LaFrance’s philosophy: “There are no bad people, only people who make mistakes.”
Changes
If he had it to do again, and now he will, Holt said he would change only one thing: “I do think training is something we need to do a lot more of.”

Holt said he plans to design a new hiring process for the next police chief search which he would expect to take to the Board of Selectmen at its next meeting.

Meanwhile, police Sgt. Robert Federico has been appointed acting police chief.

Three of the last four chiefs were promoted from within the ranks, a practice that sometimes leaves officers lacking in leadership experience.

In 1990, Norway police officers delivered a “no confidence” vote on DeNormandie, after two unsolved murders left the town reeling.

At a two-day hearing, the embattled chief and officers pleaded their cases to Holt. Afterward, Holt decided to fire DeNormandie, citing several reasons, including drug use.

“The chief did admit to using cocaine two to three times, with the last time being three to four years ago,” Holt wrote in his decision.

But Holt also noted DeNormandie’s apparent lack of leadership skills and poor judgment, based on complaints lodged by his officers and exemplified by his admissions of drug use.

Holt said he tried to turn things around when he hired Manchester from outside the department in 1991.

But she left work in September 1994, claiming back and neck injuries after returning from the FBI academy in Quantico, Va., for a three-month training course. She was placed on unpaid medical leave, receiving no salary after her sick time and vacation time ran out. After surgery for a ruptured cervical disc in early March, she expected to go back to desk work in three months. She had offered to return to work part time but was told to wait until she could work full time.

In the summer of 1995, still not back at work, she sued the town claiming Holt improperly disclosed private medical information. She later sued again for damages related to the town not allowing her to return to work. In all, she sought nearly $500,000.

She also filed a claim with the Maine Human Rights Commission alleging the town discriminated against her because she is a woman and because of her physical disability. In addition, Manchester alleged that then-Fire Chief Robert Butters made frequent sexual references and innuendoes toward her.

In November, selectmen voted not to extend her medical leave status and to hire a new chief. Manchester claimed she never requested an extension and was prepared to go back to work.

She settled her suit by accepting from the town $238,000, a Glock semi-automatic pistol and a $5,000 deposit to her retirement fund.

Afflerbach had been serving as acting chief during Manchester’s absence. But he left three years later after he was placed on administrative leave. He resigned during an ongoing investigation into “some issues” not revealed at that time and that Holt declined to detail recently. That investigation ended with Afflerbach’s departure.

Holt said the department’s image and its many capable officers have suffered undeservedly because of the personal actions of a few. At the same time, local officials have been vigilant, believing chiefs must be held to a high moral standard.

“When we become aware of any issues, we deal with it. We discipline. We have and will do it.”

Even with the benefit of hindsight, Holt said it could happen again.

“If you are asking can I guarantee will things be perfect in the future. No, of course not.”
Staff Writer Gail Geraghty contributed to this report.
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