FALMOUTH, Maine (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Falmouth's Police Chief has had an impressive 45 year career in law enforcement.
Chief Edward Tolan has held just about every job in law enforcement. He was a patrolman in Cape Elizabeth in 1973 and worked his way up to becoming sargent, detective, captain and eventually chief of police for the town of Gorham. He held that job for four years before moving to the chief position in Falmouth where he's been for the last 23 years. It's where he makes it a point to check in with his staff as often as possible.
"I think it was just talking to more the officers that worked for me. I wanted to see from the beginning what did they want in a chief," said Tolan.
Chief Tolan often gets asked what memories stand out to him from his career, both good and bad. One he'll never be able to forget happened during his first few years on the job.
"It was probably about three o'clock in the morning and got a report of a domestic disturbance," said Tolan. "When I arrived on scene I was the first officer. I was met by three little kids on the front lawn of the house screaming at me that their father had just shot their mother."
Falmouth's Chief has made sure to keep his own officers prepared for the worst and ready to handle any situation. He will retire from his duties as Police Chief in Falmouth at the end of the year to take on a new role as the executive director of the Maine Chief's of Police Association. A good bye that the 20 full time officers in Falmouth, including patrolman Mathew Yeaton, aren't looking forward to.
"He's basically an academy in and of itself," said Yeaton. "He's got stories from the old days to now and he's just got a great book of stories to learn from."
Chief Tolan's last day with the Falmouth Police Department will be December 14th.