Administration
Message From the Chief of Police
On behalf of the men and women of the Scarborough Police Department, I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to our website to learn more about our department and the high-quality services we provide to our community. We take pride in our community relationships and our role in creating a safe environment to live, work and visit.
I am honored to lead a progressive organization of dedicated professionals who are truly invested in our department and our mission to protect life and property, preserve peace, protect individual rights and reduce crime. Our core values of Respect, Integrity, Accountability, Honesty, Fairness and Empathy, provide the path to accomplishing our mission and the ideals we strive to achieve for our community.
The core of the Scarborough Police Department are our patrol officers who are the first responders who interact with the public to enforce the criminal and traffic laws of the State of Maine, while providing a sense of comfort to those in need. Our dispatch center provides a high level of customer service to public safety teams in Scarborough Old Orchard Beach and Buxton by efficiently dispatching calls for service for our first responders. Our Detective Bureau and Special Enforcement Team investigate cases that are sensitive in nature while concentrating on proactive enforcement in identified problem areas within our community. We also have an Animal Control Officer who provides a high-level of service to Scarborough and Westbrook. Our administrative staff members supplement every facet of our department and are essential to our daily operations.
The Community Resource Team has been instrumental in building community partnerships with our citizens, business stakeholders, schools and local organizations. Our team is comprised of Community Resource Officers, School Resource Officers and Harbor Master. We consider these positive interactions with our community and support from our citizens, as being vital to our success.
The Scarborough Police Department continues to lead with our partners in the fight against substance use disorder. Since 2015, our department has assisted in providing treatment services through Operation Hope for approximately 650 people who struggle with substance use. Operation Hope provides the gateway to recovery for many people who desire treatment and a new beginning.
Our department is fortunate to have a Social Services Navigator who provides behavioral health services and peer support for our public safety team. The navigator also oversees Operation Hope and is the program manager for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. This initiative began in 2021 as an alternative resource for our officers to divert high risk individuals to a community-based, harm-reduction intervention for law violations driven by unmet behavioral health needs.
Also supporting our mission are our Reserve Police Officers who provide additional coverage during our peak seasons. Our Volunteers in Police Services, Fire/Police members and Police Explorers also provide much needed support at incidents or events involving public safety.
As Chief of Police, I am honored to serve with this outstanding team as we strive to maintain excellence in public safety in the Town of Scarborough.
-Mark A. Holmquist , Scarborough Chief of Police
The Chief of Police is the chief administrator of the department and the final authority in all matters of policy, operations and discipline.