Quinn to take helm at jail

OXFORD COUNTY - When Captain Ernie Martin retires November 1, his old friend and co-worker, Lieutenant Ed Quinn will take the helm of the Oxford County Jail.

The County Commissioners accepted Sheriff Wayne Gallant's nomination of Quinn for the job at the October 19 Commissioners' meeting and they unanimously supported his judgment.

"Ed's been with us for nearly 30 years and he's been a very loyal and dedicated officer," said Gallant. "That's why he was honored last year as the Maine Sheriff's Association Employee of Year."

Quinn joined the department as a corrections officer in 1981, when he was appointed by Sheriff Alton Howe. In the intervening years. Quinn was able to combine his job in the sheriff's department with an (then) unusual, and even slightly eccentric, hobby — computers. He was in the right place at the right time, and quickly came to be regarded as the department's computer "nerd" or "guru." In that role, he was instrumental in setting up the county's "Spillman" computer system, which allows deputies to access computer files and email from their cruisers.

The soon-to-be captain says he hopes to finish his latest project, installing the equipment for televised arraignments, before taking on the duties of his new post.

Photo:

NEW HEAD JAILER - Captain Ed Quinn will assume the duties of jail administrator, November 1, when current Captain Ernie Martin retires. Shown here, from left, Chief Deputy Dane Tripp, Quinn and Sheriff Wayne Gallant, in February, when Quinn was awarded "Employee of the Year" honors by the Maine Sheriff's Association.