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| Corey Larlee |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — The Town of Limestone has recently hired a new full-time police officer, selecting a candidate who has been part-time with the PD for about a year and a half.
Officer Corey Larlee, of Easton, began working full-time with the PD on June 11. He worked for four years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as an auxiliary member and served in the United States Marine Corps for four years
“He brings a sense of duty and professionalism with him that he has shown over the 18 months of part-time employment, [during which] he proved he can certainly do the job,” explained Limestone Police Chief Stacey Mahan.
“All his experience with the RCMP as an auxiliary officer has been very beneficial and he has worked very hard to build relationships within the community, especially with the youth,” Stacey added, mentioning that Larlee’s time in the military has also been beneficial in building ties with Limestone’s veterans.
As prior military, Larlee’s entry into police work was bolstered by support from a Vocational Rehab Program, which paid for his initial police training and all the initial equipment necessary for him to enter the police force (minus a firearm). Larlee said that he’s the first police officer in the state to utilize this program.
Despite the cost savings associated with Larlee’s participation in the VR program, he described that he initially faced difficulty finding a police agency willing to hear about the program, let alone learn about it.
When other departments and agencies said no, he contacted Chief Mahan who was willing to learn more about the program and shortly after, Larlee joined LPD.
“[The VR program] is what started [Larlee] here part-time,” Mahan explained. “He called and asked if I would be interested in looking into this program, and I said ‘yes.’”
A little willingness to learn something new seems to have yielded dividends to the town — the town saved thousands through the expenses the VR program covered and Limestone now has another experienced officer to patrol the town.
Larlee expressed that he’s pleased to be Limestone’s newest full-time officer.
“I’ve seen the world — I’ve been around the world twice and I know what’s out there,” Larlee said. “This is home.”
Larlee will be headed down to the police academy as soon as schedules permit, which he and Chief Mahan both hope will be in the near future.
