Mexico police officer Michael J. Richard is right: His abysmal record of suspensions, demotions and reprimands has nothing to do with his arrest for domestic violence and terrorizing. Separate issues.

But his record does raise the question of why the Mexico Police Department hired him in the first place.

Richard, 57, spent 28 years with the adjacent Rumford Police Department. Records from that department show he had a long record of questionable and sometimes violent behavior.

In 1994, he was demoted for violating state law and department regulations by endangering other officers and a juvenile prisoner.

In 1984, he was reprimanded for striking a prisoner with a closed fist.

He was suspended in 1982 for loaning police uniforms to non-employees and, in 1981, he was suspended for six days for an incident with a hand gun in a Rumford paint store.

These were only the incidents in his record that are available to the public. State law prevents anyone from seeing complaints against an officer and other infractions that did not result in formal disciplinary action.

Interestingly, the incidents involving Richard span three different police chiefs. So this isn’t just a matter of a guy not getting along with his boss.

We’re not sure how many officers accumulate such an extensive disciplinary record over a career. We do question, however, how an officer with such a record gets to start a second career with another department.

Normally, employers seek to minimize risks. For instance, a trucking company might decline to hire an applicant with a lousy driving record. Or, a hospital might not hire a doctor who had been reprimanded by a licensing board.

Police officers have difficult jobs and they are often required to show remarkable restraint and self-discipline. They must make quick decisions that most of us will never have to make.

The Mexico and Rumford departments often must work together. While Richard was no doubt a friend to some, that was certainly no reason to ignore his lengthy disciplinary record.

A conviction for domestic violence would certainly seal Richard’s fate as a police officer. If he’s cleared of these charges, Mexico should at least examine its process for hiring new officers.