WILTON — The Wilton Police Department announced the addition of Officer Gerald “Jerry” F. Maccione IV on Friday, Dec. 2. Maccione was sworn in on Thursday, Dec. 1.

According to their Facebook post, Maccione received his bachelor’s degree in conservation law enforcement from Unity College and is currently serving in the Maine Army National Guard. With the Army National Guard, he was also stationed in Arizona.

Officer Maccione is a graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and has five years of experience working as an officer at the Dixfield Police Department, where he was hired in July 2017. Former Dixfield Police Chief Jeff Howe stated in March 2019 that Maccione “was a really good hire. He’s a really good fit here and is doing great in the community.”

Maccione also served as a Deputy at the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

The addition of a new police officer to Wilton was first mentioned at the Wilton Selectboard meeting on Nov. 15. At the meeting, the board voted unanimously to discontinue an $8,000 recruitment bonus starting Dec. 1.

This recruitment bonus, which was disbursed over the period of a year, was discontinued to allow Town Manager Perry Ellsworth to pursue a potential candidate for the Wilton Police Department. This candidate had an undisclosed contract with a buyout price of $6,000.

Ellsworth also elaborated that this candidate was a resident of Wilton, had five years of experience in law enforcement and was backed by Interim Police Chief Ethan Kyes. “[Ethan Kyes] is pretty strong on him. And I think that he might be a good fit for us,” Ellsworth stated at the meeting.

Officer Maccione has the goal of becoming a Field Training Officer for our department and is excited to serve the community where he lives, Wilton PD stated in their release.

Neither Kyes nor Maccione could be reached for comment.

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