ELLSWORTH, Maine — A familiar face in law enforcement in eastern Maine has agreed to help lead the city Police Department while the search continues for a new long-term police chief.
Christopher Coleman, who served as Ellsworth’s police chief since October 2014, worked his last day in the post on Feb. 1. Since then, former Old Town Police Chief Don O’Halloran has been filling in.
David Cole, Ellsworth’s city manager, said Monday that O’Halloran is expected to work an average of three days a week as interim chief until a new police chief is hired and then starts work. O’Halloran will receive $50 per hour, but no benefits, while on the job, Cole said.
O’Halloran was recommended for the interim post by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, which has been assisting the city in its search for a new chief, the city manager said. He added that the interim chief is not a candidate for, and is not interested in, the permanent post.
O’Halloran retired in March 2015 as chief of the Old Town Police Department, where he had been chief since 1989. Before working in Old Town, O’Halloran had worked 20 years for Bangor Police Department, starting as a patrolman and working his way to head the Bangor detective division as a lieutenant.
Cole said he hopes to make a final selection for a new long-term police chief “soon,” but he declined to be more specific about the timing.
Coleman, who had worked for 25 years for the Maine State Police, retired from that agency in September 2014 as a lieutenant running its northern major crimes unit. In announcing his resignation as chief of Ellsworth Police Department, Coleman said he decided he wanted to find a job outside of law enforcement.
Coleman replaced former Chief John DeLeo, who retired in April 2014 after leading Ellsworth’s department for 16 years.
