HOULTON, Maine — Houlton Police Detective Jasmine Cyr was promoted to captain, the first woman in the department to hold the second-in-command position.
Cyr, 33, has been the lead investigator on all major crimes in Houlton since making detective two and a half years ago, Houlton Police Chief Tim DeLuca said.
Many of those investigations — often victim crimes such as burglaries, theft, sex crimes and fraud — led to prosecution and conviction, DeLuca said.
“She has a broad knowledge and professional skills which support her success as an investigator and supervisor. She has the ability to work in cooperation with a variety of agencies across our region,” DeLuca said. “I am proud to have promoted her to this new position, she is deserving.”
Nearly nine years ago, while still a biology student at the University of Maine, Cyr decided to take a semester off to figure out her future.
“I wanted to see if that was what I really wanted to do,” she said.
It was that break that changed everything.
Cyr took a position as a Houlton Police Department dispatcher and that’s when she knew she wanted to work in law enforcement, she said.
Like most police officers, Cyr began her law enforcement career with three weeks of initial police training and 12 weeks of field training with the department before heading to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro for 18 weeks.
Her police training continued while a patrol officer, answering calls and traffic infractions.
“I started to focus my training on investigations, interviewing and interrogation, crime scene investigations and death investigations,” Cyr said.
Additionally, she went for drug recognition expert training in Arizona.
A drug recognition expert is used in cases where a driver may be operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, she said.
Just after her promotion to detective, Cyr was responsible for leading an aggressive investigation that led to the arrest of Benjamin M. Ireland, 24, of Houlton, DeLuca said.
Ireland was charged with multiple felonies, including burglary, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and theft. He also was charged with misdemeanors including burglary of a motor vehicle, assault, theft by receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, escape, possession of burglar tools and refusal to submit to arrest, DeLuca said.
Among her other qualifications, Cyr has the leadership ability to mentor and train young officers, DeLuca said.
“With her assistance, I am confident HPD will be well-served in moving forward with professionalism and working with me to make positive changes and serve our community with excellence,” he said.
Cyr is married and has three children.
