FARMINGTON — Two local men were recently hired as officers in the Farmington Police Department, one starting from college, the other after serving eight years as an assistant bank manager.

Jordan Norton, 22, of Strong started on the force in August and has one semester of community college to finish for a degree in criminal justice, he said Friday.

Wayne Drake, 29, of Farmington started work at Farmington PD last week after  deciding to make a change in his career path.

One patrolman position is still open on the force, Chief Jack Peck said Friday. If selectmen approve his proposal to promote Sgt. Shane Cote to a newly named position of deputy chief, then a sergeant position will also be open, he said.  Peck will bring the proposal before selectmen when they meet on Tuesday.

For the past eight years, Drake has served as an assistant manager at Bangor Saving’s Main Street branch , Drake said.  That wasn’t his only position. He’s been a part-time police officer for the town of Wilton over the past couple years but realized it was time for him to make a decision whether to continue in the world of finance or start a full-time career in law enforcement.

Knowing Chief Peck and respecting his reputation, Drake said he decided he would “love to work for him” and abandoned the white collar world for a patrolman’s blues.

He was also drawn to the Farmington force because he liked the way each officer is able to find their own niche in the department and work on it, he said.  With his former banking experience, he has an interest in specializing in white collar crime.

Norton feels drawn to work on drug enforcement, perhaps eventually working with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

A Strong native and a Mt. Abram High School graduate who was active in sports, Norton became more interested in law enforcement through discussions with a coach, Mark Lopez, a former Maine State Police officer. Lopez took Norton on a couple of ride-alongs and talked about his work as a police officer, Norton said.

The other draw for Norton regarding police work is that “you’re not doing the same thing everyday,” he said.  Norton will complete his degree in criminal justice from Central Maine Community College while working in Farmington.

Both officers will attend the Maine Criminal Justice Academy for eighteen weeks starting in January, Peck said. 

“I’m proud to have both guys come on board,” Peck said of his first hires as the town’s police chief.  “We have a great group of guys to work with.”

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