ROCKLAND, Maine — Knox County Sheriff Patrick Polky announced Sunday that he has formally withdrawn his name from consideration for the position of Camden police chief.
The sheriff notified the town Saturday following a period of personal reflection and engagement with local community members.
Polky said he is focusing 100% of his energy on his reelection campaign, officially staying the course to provide continuous leadership for the county.
“Looking at the current political landscape, there is a lot of shifting sand, and I feel deeply compelled to provide a steady, known hand and reliable continuity for our county,” Polky said in a news release. “To ensure the long-term stability of our county’s public safety, I am staying the course as Knox County Sheriff and focusing entirely on this reelection campaign.”
Polky, who began his law enforcement career in Camden in 2000, recently provided interim leadership support to the town during its transitional period. He expressed sincere gratitude to the Camden town leadership, the search committee, and the Select Board for their time and professionalism throughout the process.
Moving forward, Polky emphasized his commitment to the broad, cross-party coalition of voters who support the office. “I am incredibly grateful to the residents across all political views who support this office because they know I stand for fairness and impartiality. I look forward to keeping the energy high as we move forward together toward November.”
Polky was appointed to the post in the summer of 2022 after Sheriff Tim Carroll was hired as Rockland’s Police Chief in June 2022. Polky was then elected to a four-year term in November 2022.
Polky defeated fellow Democrat John Hansen of St. George on June 9 by a 5,012-to-2,544 vote in the Democratic primary.
The sheriff is being challenged for the post by Albert “A.J.” Joy of Hope, who is running as an unenrolled candidate.
A deputy for the sheriff’s office, Dan Landers, has filed an appeal to the Maine Law Court to keep Joy off the ballot, arguing he lacks the supervisory experience that Maine law requires for candidates for sheriff. The Maine secretary of state’s office said that the law is vague and ruled that Joy could stay on the ballot, but Landers has appealed that ruling.
The Camden Select Board has been mum on its chief search following the departure in February of longtime Chief Randy Gagne. Gagne was then hired as a patrol officer for Rockland.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.