EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — Police Chief Garold “Twig” Cramp will be leaving his job to work for a government agency charged with protecting federal buildings, officials said Wednesday.

Cramp gave a letter of resignation to Clint Linscott, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, on Wednesday morning. Cramp said he chose to leave after agreeing more than a year ago to stay on for a year “to try to fill the gap during devastating budget cuts.”

“I feel that this is the best time for the town and the department for this transition to take place,” Cramp wrote. “Both of the town meetings are over and two new budgets are in place, with the hiring of a full-time officer taking place soon. I feel all of this will give my replacement a good start in leading the department.”

As police chief, Cramp and his department serve East Millinocket and Medway. In June 2011, he earned praise from residents and leaders of both towns when, as a 28-year veteran fully vested in his pension plan, Cramp “retired” on June 30 and returned to work July 1 as a police chief and reserve officer. This kept Cramp as chief for a year and saved East Millinocket about $30,000 ― money the town needed to save, given a crushing devaluation of the town’s paper mill.

Linscott praised Cramp for his dedication and professionalism.

“He has been excellent,” Linscott said. “He works very hard. Anytime there was anything going on in town, Twig was there. No matter when or how often, whether it be in shorts or whatever, he would respond to any incident that needed him.”

Cramp described his new job as “a positive move toward fulfilling my career goals.

“I hope you will respect my decision in this matter, but at this time my current rate of pay and the hours of work required [are] not beneficial to any type of a family life,” Cramp wrote.

Cramp did not return a message left at the town Public Safety Building on Wednesday. Workers there said he was attending to business in Bangor.

Cramp will be working as a private contractor with the Federal Protective Service. It is is a federal law enforcement agency that provides integrated security and law enforcement services to federally owned and leased buildings, facilities, properties and other assets, according to its page on the website of the federal Department of Homeland Security.

The letter states that Cramp’s last day of work would be June 29, but Linscott said Cramp had agreed to work until the town’s annual summer celebration was over, until July 8 or 9.