FARMINGTON — Jesse Clement has proudly served not only his community, but also his country. He is a patrolman with Farmington Police Department and veteran of the Army National Guard.

“I wanted a career in law enforcement because I wanted to protect the ones who could not protect themselves,” said Clement. “I also wanted to put the bad guys in jail.”

Clement, 29, earned a criminal justice degree at University of Maine Augusta. He began his career as a Corrections Officer at Kennebec County Jail. He worked for Carrabassett Valley Police Department for two years before coming to the Farmington department in 2016.

While he was advancing his career, Clement served in the Army National Guard. In 2012, his unit was activated and he spent three years as a military police officer in Afghanistan.

In addition to military police training, Clement has completed the Basic Corrections Officer Training and Basic Law Enforcement Training programs at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.

Being able to save lives is the most rewarding part of the job, he said. “I hate to say it because it is always a terrible situation but after it’s over, the instances of being able to save someone will always be among my best experiences as an officer.”

His worst experience to date were the hours following the April 2018 shooting death of a Somerset County sheriff’s deputy. “It was a rough morning after Eugene Cole was found,” he said. “We were pretty close.”

He somberly recalled each officer teaming up with someone else and heading to Norridgewock to search the roads.

Clement’s goal for the future is to continue to grow professionally and gain rank as his career advances. “I’ll continue to do the best I can do,” he said.

Clement is married with two children and a third on the way.

In his downtime, he enjoys hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.

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