The defense of Michael Richard should now rest.

Richard is the former Mexico and Rumford police officer whose certification to enforce the laws of Maine was, in rapid fashion, revoked by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy Board of Trustees last week. Town officials, however, asked the board for leniency, and called him “a real benefit for a small town.”

During his 34 years in policing, Richard was suspended, reprimanded and demoted. His latest transgression was a criminal conviction – for threatening – following a domestic violence-related incident with his estranged wife last summer. He pleaded guilty, and was given a suspended sentence.

Information about that incident has been clouded since Richard’s arrest. Police in Rumford, where the crime occurred, have obstructed full public disclosure of the circumstances. The board of trustees, however, was privy to every detail, nuance and opinion regarding it.

And in minutes, they voted to strip Richard of his career.

“The facts I read led to me to believe this person should not be able to hold a license,” said the vice-chairman, Brunswick Police Chief Jerry Hinton. “He did not change my mind as to what I read as the facts in the case.”

The swiftness with which those who knew the details, outside of the cozy environment of Rumford and Mexico, punished Richard speaks volumes about his crime, and the lengths officials have apparently gone to downplay it.

A Mexico selectmen, Reggie Arseneault, called the case against Richard a “travesty.” Arseneault should realize defending an officer with a record of bad behavior dating back decades, including misconduct with a firearm, and a criminal conviction is far more befitting the word.

Decertification is the worst penalty the board of trustees can levy on a police officer. According to minutes of recent meetings, the board has been lenient in waiving convictions for so-called petty crimes – like theft, assault, and operating under the influence – to allow people to work in law enforcement.

In April, the board decertified two, including ex-Monmouth chief Kenneth Latulippe, who is serving eight years in prison for sexual assault. The other decertified party also pleaded guilty earlier this year to a sex crime.

Richard’s conviction, according to the letter of the law, was for a less serious charge than those lodged against this pair. By receiving the same punishment, however, the board of trustees sent the clear message that his actions were as serious as any crime committed by a police officer.

The message also stated the time, and rationale, for defending Richard is gone.