The Maine Legislature recognized former Lewiston police Chief William Welch with a special legislative sentiment on Friday at the State House.

Welch retired May 1 after serving for 33 years at the Lewiston Police Department, 11 of them as the city’s top cop.

Maine Rep. Margaret Rotundo, D-Lewiston, who sponsored the sentiment, said Welch should be credited for making the city and state a better place to live.

“One of Chief Welch’s accomplishments during his tenure as Lewiston’s chief of police was to help establish and administer the state’s computer crime lab, which has been so important in helping combat child pornography,” she said in a statement.

“I thank Chief Welch for all he has done to make our community and the state of Maine a safer and healthier place to live,” she said.

During Welch’s tenure, the city’s crime rate dropped to one of the lowest in the state, according to a legislative statement. He also organized a police response plan for two rallies held by a white supremacist group in 2003 that caught the attention of law enforcement agencies around the nation and gained national media attention.