Gorham Police Chief Dan Jones has announced his retirement. He has been the Chief in Gorham for the past four years and was previously the Deputy Chief in Kennebunk. He had also worked for the Sheriff’s office in St. Lucie County in Florida. Jones plans to move back to Florida.
A retirement luncheon will be held at the Gorham Police Department at noon on September 6. Deputy Chief Christopher Sanborn has been appointed interim chief.
Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak said, “Dan Jones did a wonderful job during his tenure in Gorham. He helped the town through a period of unprecedented growth. He also engaged with the community and did a good job of running the day to day operation of the department.”
Jones said, “Gorham has been a great place to work. The Town government and community support are the best I’ve seen in my 30 year career.”
Photo credit Buffy HoupHe also shared his belief that a police department is only as good as its connection to the community; a big part of that is the school system. “Communities around the state are envious of the relationship between the Gorham Police Department and the Gorham School Department.”
He said the men and women of the police department are hard working and committed to keeping Gorham safe, saying they deserve all the credit for any successes the department has achieved over the last four years.
“I feel it is time for me to retire from law enforcement. I always thought it would be a difficult decision to leave a profession I was called to so many years ago, but it was not. The Town of Gorham has been a great place to work and live; leaving here will be the only difficult part. The citizens, Town employees and members of the Gorham Police Department have all been amazing,” he added.
Reflecting on his decision, he noted three statistics that had more relevance to him with each passing year: Life expectancy in the U.S. is 76. If you make it to retirement age, your life expectancy grows to 85 unless you retire from law enforcement; a retired police officer only lives until 66 on average. A study of the general population revealed that people who retire at 55 live until they are 85, but people who retire at 65 live until they are 67.
He said, “Statistics are just statistics until they hit home. Two years ago, my best friend died of a massive heart attack at the age of 49. His death was attributed to stress brought on by the demands of his law enforcement career. Pooch’s death affected me greatly. Their passing before they could enjoy retirement was a wake-up call for me.”