Kennebunkport Police Chief Craig Sanford moving on after 13 years as town's top cop

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Growing up, Craig Sanford never imagined living a life dedicated to law enforcement, let alone one in which he would reach the top rank at a high-profile police department in his home state.

Yet that was precisely the life that awaited him after he graduated from Massabesic High School in 1984, attended the University of Southern Maine for a year, and then served in the U.S. Army.

On Friday, May 24, Chief Sanford will bid farewell to those he has led and has served alongside at the Kennebunkport Police Department for the past 13 years. During an interview on May 15, Sanford said he would miss his staff.

“I have a very good team here,” he added.

Earlier this week, Kennebunkport Town Manager Laurie Smith called Sanford “the model public servant,” one who “strives to treat all people equally and fairly and upholds the law impartially.”

“He is a tremendous leader, always putting his troops needs in front of his own,” Smith said. “He believes in service to the community and sustained the department through the past few years of challenging times faced by police departments nationwide.”

It was during his time in the Army that Sanford found his way into law enforcement after the military identified that profession as in step with his skill sets and potential. After the Army, Sanford continued in the field, eventually joining the Sanford Police Department and working his way up to deputy chief.

Sanford said he is the first police officer in his family – but not the last. He and his wife, Michelle, have three grown sons, and one of them is a police officer in another community in southern Maine.

Next, Sanford will be a judicial marshal for the state and will work out the York Judicial Center in Biddeford, he said.

Ogunquit Beach summer preview 2024: Pride, shops, eateries, shows and more

What was it like being Kennebunkport's police chief?

Enforcing the law in Kennebunkport is like doing so in any community, according to Sanford, although it differs in scale because the population is much smaller.

Sanford said he is not a typical police chief, as he does not confine himself to paperwork at his desk and makes sure to get out and about in the community. While that involves joining local events – he has been known to hand out candy during family-friendly Halloween events in recent years – it also involves doing what all police officers do.

“I still pull over a lot of cars,” he said.

Sanford said he enjoys being a police officer but had his share of hard or heartbreaking cases. When asked if there has been one in particular over the years that has haunted him, he mentioned an incident from his early days with the Sanford Police Department.

In that incident, which occurred in the 1990s, a man speeding on a motorcycle struck and killed a woman as she crossed Route 109. The day before, Sanford had stopped the man for a motor vehicle violation and had let him go with only a warning.

Sanford described the horror of responding to the tragedy and collecting some of the evidence strewn across the scene. Among that evidence was the warning Sanford had issued the motorist less than 24 hours earlier.

Sanford said he wrestled with wondering if the woman would have been spared if he had issued something stronger and more consequential to the biker than the warning.

“That was tough for me,” he said. “I felt guilty. That’s burned into my memory.”

But then there are those times when Sanford said he was able to help people – in some cases, even be instrumental in helping them turn their lives around and find success. He provides an example in which he helped one woman work through the difficulties in her life and become a better parent to her children than her parents were to her.

“That was more gratifying than anything,” Sanford said.

York Beach: Here's what's new at Short Sands Beach, Wild Kingdom and more in 2024

Sanford on meeting President George H.W. Bush

Naturally, as the head of law enforcement in Kennebunkport, Sanford had the opportunity to meet and spend time with the town’s most famous resident: the late former President George H.W. Bush. He described the nation’s forty-first Commander-in-Chief as “very down to earth, very personable.”

Sanford said Bush reached out to him during his first week as chief and invited him to Walker’s Point for lunch.

“It was pretty cool,” Sanford said of the honor. “It was awesome.”

Sanford said Bush at first had hoped to take him by boat to a restaurant in Ogunquit, but Sanford felt he had to decline.

“You’re not going to go with the President of the United States?” Bush asked, surprised, according to Sanford.

“My job’s here,” Sanford told Bush.

To which Bush said, “I can appreciate that.”

'Greatest democracy in the world' Kennebunk welcomes new Americans

Sanford's biggest regret was not spending more time with family

Looking back on more than 30 years in law enforcement, Sanford is pleased with the dedication he has given to protecting communities, but he said he wishes he could have done a few things differently.

“When my sons got older, I actually went to them and I apologized for having missed so much because I was always working,” Sanford said. “We didn’t make a whole lot, and I had to work the overtime.”

These days, with his sons all grown, Sanford works shifts during Christmas so that his officers can be with their families.

“I remember missing that,” he said. “I’m trying to give back.”

Sanford speaks gratefully about his wife, Michelle, and the support and understanding she always has shown him.

“She is an angel,” he said.

Sanford said adaptability has been a key part of being able to lead a police department in this day and age. He said he and his staff have been able to adapt well to “an ever-changing world” that, ironically, at the same time never seems to change.

“That’s the difficult part,” he said. “People don’t do well with change. I’ve never had a problem with it. The folks who work here have done well with it ... Everybody needs a little guidance, including myself, and I think we’ve rolled with the punches well.”

Congdon’s After Dark: Here's the lineup of food trucks for 2024 season

Kennebunkport starts search for new police chief

Speaking on behalf of herself and of the Kennebunkport Select Board, Smith spoke of the impression Sanford is leaving on the community.

“He is an integral part of our leadership team and is leaving big shoes to fill,” she said.

Efforts to fill those shoes are underway. According to Smith, the town has already advertised the police chief position.

“Once we have suitable candidates, we will begin the interview and vetting process,” Smith said.

When asked to offer advice to his successor, Sanford said always to keep the team at the Kennebunkport Police Department in mind. He urged his successor to remember that while the chief is home at night, asleep in bed, there are fellow police officers who are out there on patrol, keeping the community safe.

“Ensure that you take care of the people you work with because they ultimately will take care of you,” Sanford said. “Pull on the oar with them, and the boat will go smooth.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunkport’s finest: Chief Sanford's last day as top cop is May 24