ROCKLAND, Maine — Deputy Police Chief Wally Tower will step down from his post Sunday, he announced Wednesday.
Tower has been deputy police chief in Rockland since 1996. He has served 27 years with the Rockland department.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in Rockland but it’s time to bid farewell,” he said.
He said he has another job opportunity. Knox County Chief Deputy Tim Carroll said Wednesday that Tower would be joining the department to oversee security at the Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head.
“We are very happy to have Deputy Chief Tower become a member of the sheriff’s office. He brings with him many years of experience, education and training,” Carroll said.
Tower is a Massachusetts native who came to Maine and worked for six months in the Thomaston Police Department as a patrol officer before being hired as an officer in Rockland. He had served as an officer in Massachusetts for seven years before coming to Maine.
“I’ve had an interest in law enforcement all my life,” Tower said.
When he was a student in Massachusetts he served as a patrol boy, similar to a crossing guard.
“They gave us sashes and badges,” Tower recalled.
Rockland Police Chief Bruce Boucher said he is sad to see his second-in-command leave but he understands and wished him well.
“I’m going to miss going down the hallway and bouncing ideas off him,” the chief said.
He said that Tower has such an immense amount of institutional knowledge that will be hard to replace.