SKOWHEGAN, Maine — It is a memory that doesn’t go away. One year ago, Cpl. Eugene Cole, a 13-year veteran of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed while on patrol.
"I think of it every single day," says Sheriff Dale Lancaster, whose connections to Cole date back more than 45 years, to when they were both students at nearby Madison High School.
Cpl. Richard Putnam says he and Cpl. Cole were in the same training class at the Law Enforcement Academy and joined the department at the same time. He says they were fellow shift supervisors, and good friends.
"It was a huge shock," he says, adding that he will never forget the moment he got the word that Cpl. Cole had been killed.
Cpl. Putnam, Sheriff Lancaster and Lt. Michael Knight all say that in the months following Cpl. Cole’s murder, officers in the department have been urged to use the tragedy as a reminder to be vigilant on duty and always aware that police work can be dangerous.
"There are many, many good people (around here)," said the Sheriff, "but we always have to remember there a few who may want to hurt us."
The Department has revised some procedures in the past year, the Sheriff says, and has also installed GPS tracking devices in all the cruisers. After Cpl. Cole was shot, the man accused of his murder stole the cruiser and drove it to a remote area. That resulted in a several hour search for the cruiser once dispatchers determined Cpl. Cole was missing.
"Overall, everybody is doing pretty well, all things considered," said Lt. Knight.
But all said, there are reminders, every day, of their loss. Those reminders especially strong for Cpl. Putnam. He now drives the cruiser that Cpl. Cole drove the day he was killed.