Bridgton hires police chief

Photo:

Kevin L. Schofield

BRIDGTON — After a three-month hiring process, the Town of Bridgton has hired Kevin L. Schofield as its next Police Chief.

Schofield comes to Bridgton with more than 25 years of law enforcement experience which includes budgeting, strategic planning and operations management. Currently Schofield is Commander of the Support Services Division of the Brunswick Police Department where he manages the department’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Emergency E911 center and the Records Division.

Schofield holds an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, an Executive Certificate in Human Resource Management and is in the completion stage of a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership. He currently resides in Topsham with his wife Wendy and their two children.

According to Mitchell A. Berkowitz, town manager, the hiring process started with the selection of a committee which consisted of two police chiefs, two Bridgton selectmen, three citizens, the executive assistant and the town manager.

The Committee received more than 20 applications mostly from the northeast. During the months of January and February, interviews were conducted concluding with the unanimous recommendation by the committee to the town manager to complete the background and pre-employment testing with Schofield who will begin work March 31.

“We want to host a meet and greet opportunity for the community as soon as possible,” said Berkowitz. “We will also spend some time in March and outline some of the key issues that the department and Kevin must address going forward. He will also need time with Lt. Madura and staff members as part of this process.”

The Town of Bridgton has a total of eight sworn officers including the chief and provides full time law enforcement services to the community that include community policing, crime prevention initiatives, drug interdiction and court prosecution of cases.

The chief also provides supervision of the dispatching services.