Newly appointed Police Chief David Lyons has plans to improve the Sabattus Police Department, which residents have voted in recent years to retain amid turnover and turmoil.

Lyons said he hopes to bring stability to the department, retain officers and increase connections with the community.

The Hiram native, who was hired by the Select Board in November after the town conducted a search, has 45 years of experience in law enforcement, holding multiple roles.

He studied criminal justice at what is now Southern Maine Community College before being hired by the Portland Police Department. He worked for the Bridgton Police Department for a couple years before joining the state police as a patrol trooper based in Rockland, he said.

During his years with the state police he worked undercover in the narcotics unit and worked in the major crimes homicide unit, where he was promoted to sergeant, he said. Lyons retired from the agency as a patrol sergeant.

“This not only develops into wisdom and maturity, but job skills that are so important for every officer to have,” Lyons said.

He then worked for a ski company for a year before returning to the Bridgton department as an overnight patrol officer and then as chief for seven years.

Leaving western Maine once again, he spent a couple years in Afghanistan helping to stand up its national police, he said.

When the job of Sabattus chief became available, he was working with the Department of Health and Human Services’ fraud investigation unit.

“So here I am,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges with the Sabattus Police Department, Lyons said, is that it is a small agency, which can make it difficult to attract officers.

The Select Board recently agreed to a wage increase for officers, which Lyons said he hopes will help attract interest. He encourages all officers interested to reach out to him, along with those thinking about a career in law enforcement.

He said he also hopes to build rapport with the community by having officers involved in community projects and other community efforts. 

“The people work hard and they pay their taxes,” Lyons said. “They have a good, reasonable expectation to get something back from us, a higher quality of life and a higher degree of professional services. And that’s not just rhetoric, I really believe that. So, we’re hoping to attract some people who want to be part of the community, stay here and build with us.”