FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Fort Fairfield Police Chief and Public Safety Director Shawn Newell announced to the town council on Wednesday that Officer Ryan Eagles has been promoted to police sergeant.
Eagles has been an officer for the Fort Fairfield Police Department since 2016. He graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in 2013,and was hired as a full-time officer for the Presque Isle Police Department shortly afterward.
Prior to that he graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s criminal justice program and served part time for the Limestone and Fort Fairfield police departments.
“I’m very excited to start this new chapter with the department,” Eagles said. “Fort Fairfield is a great community with great people and I’m looking forward to serving the town as sergeant.”
Newell said that Eagles is the first sergeant the police department has hired in four years. Prior to Eagles’ promotion, the town had eliminated the position of sergeant due to budget constraints. Newell said that after he became director of public safety, he felt that having someone to assist him would be beneficial to the police department as a whole.
“Sergeant Eagles will assist me with day-to-day operations, grant writing and training. The position places a second in command in the event of my absence,” Newell said. “We’re excited to have this position back on the department.”
In other business, town councilors unanimously approved sectioning off a portion of Riverside Park as a dog park. The 90-foot-by-50-foot section will be fenced off from the rest of the park and will require that dog owners supervise their pets at all times, pick up and dispose of waste in designated trash cans and that children 12 years of age not enter the park unsupervised.
