WISCASSET, Maine — Services for Wiscasset police Reserve Officer Donald “Donnie” H. Smith Jr., who died unexpectedly on Jan. 7 at his home in Wiscasset, are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Wiscasset Community Center.
Services begin at 2 p.m.
In a news release confirming Smith’s death, Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline said that the Wiscasset Police Department and Lincoln County public safety agencies will work to make sure that Smith receives “a fitting farewell, worthy of a Wiscasset hero.”
Cline said he has put a call out to area law enforcement agencies to form a procession of law enforcement personnel to launch the service. Visiting hours will precede the services at the community center. The Wiscasset Fire Department and EMS will hold a reception afterward.
Smith worked as a first responder in Lincoln County for about 30 years. He served as a volunteer firefighter with the Wiscasset Fire Department in the 1990s and was a past assistant director of — and emergency medical technician with — the Wiscasset Ambulance Service.
According to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post, Smith served as a corrections officer at the Lincoln County Jail for 17 years, rising to the rank of corporal and shift commander. He helped with the transition from Lincoln County Jail to Two Bridges Regional Jail and helped supervise the sheriff’s office jail diversion program for five years.
He was honored by Sheriff Todd Brackett for his role in transforming the jail diversion program into one of the most respected programs in the state.
Smith served as a reserve police officer with the Wiscasset Police Department since 2007. He and his brother, Michael Smith, worked regular 10-hour shifts, enabling full-time police officers to have time off, Cline said. Donnie Smith also was the only reserve officer to serve as a field training officer, Cline said.
“He was steadfast and dependable,” Cline said. “He would fill shifts at a moment’s notice. All of the staff respected and appreciated his straight-forward, blunt approach. You didn’t have to guess what he was thinking. He was a very honest and forthright officer.”
His death was “sudden and unexpected,” according to the release. “The staff is still reeling from this,” Cline said. “This is a difficult time for the Police Department as a whole.”
After news of Smith’s passing, many staff from the Wiscasset Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln County Communications changed their Facebook profile pictures to a photo of a Wiscasset Police Department patch with a black band across it.