After 44 years serving the communities of Cumberland County and the Lakes Region, Lt. Richard “Dick” Elliott rode off into the sunset last Friday under a full police escort from Portland to his hometown of Standish.

When the caravan carrying Elliott got to downtown Standish on Feb. 12, dozens of police vehicles lined Route 35 in front of Dunkin’ Donuts. Traffic was detoured, and deputies and officers from area police departments stood in front of their cars and saluted Elliott as he was chauffeured home by Sheriff Mark Dion and Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce.

“It was a fitting tribute,” said Elliott’s wife, Jude.

“He deserves it.”

Jude, son Craig Elliott and granddaughter Madison Elliott were at Standish Town Hall to welcome the long-serving Elliott when he arrived. There, colleagues gathered to say their goodbyes to Elliott, whom many considered the elder statesman of the sheriff’s office.

“We wanted to do something nice for him … He is the glue of the department,” said Dion.

A formal retirement dinner for Elliott will take place June 19 at Keeley the Caterer on Warren Avenue in Portland. Dion said anyone wishing to attend “can contact my office for details.”

Police from Westbrook, Brunswick, Gorham, Windham, the Maine State Police and at least 20 members of the sheriff’s office took part in last Friday’s salute, which was fitting since Elliott made a lasting impression on many members of the local law enforcement community.

“He is a mentor, a patriarch of the agency,” said Joyce. “For most of the older deputies, he was our superior when we started. You couldn’t help but learn from him. He touched everybody’s life.”

Elliott started his career in 1966 working in short stints for departments in Windham, Gorham and Cumberland before settling in at the sheriff’s office in 1970. Back then, deputies would be on their own for days without checking in at headquarters, and would even use their own vehicles.

“When I first started, Lawrence Joyce swore me in in Windham,” Elliott said. “That was in 1966. Larry was Chief Deputy Joyce’s grandfather. That’s how far back I go.”

Surrounded by his peers at the Standish Town Hall after receiving his special police escort, Elliott said he had “mixed emotions” about his last day. He’ll miss the camaraderie but is looking forward to the freedom retirement will provide.

Asked what his goals were in retirement, Elliott said, “Go up to camp whenever I want to, do stuff around the house and stop at lawn sales that I’ve always had to drive by.” And, he says, he wants to learn how to use his new laptop computer.

Over the years, Elliott saw the department evolve. “In 1970, we had five full-time deputies. I was immediately assigned night patrol and you could go a couple nights and never get a call,” he said. “Now, we get seven to 14 deputies signing in at 5 p.m. and calls are already waiting for them.”

One of the most memorable cases he helped solve was a string of rapes in Cumberland County in the late 1970s. He also helped catch a suspect in an attempted murder at the Otter Ponds in Standish. But it was the “regular routine police work” that Elliott said he’ll miss most.

“Talking to the people, going in to the stores, that to me is community policing, getting to know the people in the community,” he said.

Elliott will not be forgotten now that he’s left the department, Joyce said. Each year, Elliott will choose a deserving deputy to receive the honorary “Dick Elliott Ironman Award.” The honor will go to a deputy who shows steady devotion to duty. This year, Deputy George Bernier was the award’s inaugural recipient.

Reflecting on the day’s events, Joyce said festivities like the escort and coordinated salute by police officers lined up along Route 35 are the type of tributes usually reserved for deceased members of the department.

“This sort of thing usually only happens for those who die in the line of duty. Not everyone gets this type of treatment,” Joyce said. “But he deserves it.”

After being driven by Sheriff Mark Dion and Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce from Portland, Lt. Richard Elliott, who retired Friday after 44 years in law enforcement, received an honorary salute from multiple sheriff’s deputies and area police officers along Route 35 in Standish. (Staff photo by John Balentine)Lt. Richard Elliott, Standish Town Manager Gordon Billington, Sheriff Mark Dion and Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce, from left, enjoy a few moments on Elliott’s last day of work. Dion and Joyce drove Elliott to the Standish Town Hall in honor of his long service. (Staff photo by John Balentine)