Chief Roberts, a Portland Police lieutenant prior to her time in Westbrook, is retiring after just under 30 years in law enforcement. Courtesy photo

WESTBROOK — Police Chief Janine Roberts said she is proud of what the department has accomplished over the last six years around community outreach and hopes to see it continue.

Chief Roberts with a motorcycle outside of the Public Safety Building. Roberts said her retirement is “bittersweet.” Courtesy photo

The chief’s retirement comes after two years of developing a private business, which she said is ready to kick off at the beginning of 2021. Roberts looks back at her six years in Westbrook and her accomplishments as a department-wide effort, with all hands on deck focusing on community outreach, which she cited as her proudest accomplishment.

“It is the community engagement and trust we’ve built. We are still working on that, but it has improved in our day to day and that will be the broader legacy,” Roberts said.

Roberts won five awards while in Westbrook: the Trauma Intervention Program Heart of Gold in 2016 and their Courage is Contagious award in 2017, the Junior League of Portland Outstanding Community Partnership award in 2018, the Spurwink Humanitarian award in 2019 and the Maine Association of Police David Pickering award in 2020.

She was hired in 2014, after serving nearly 29 years in the Portland Police Department.

“To say that Chief Roberts dedicated herself to the agency and the city of Westbrook would be an understatement,” Capt. Chief Goldberg said. “Under Chief Roberts’ leadership, we have increased our staffing (from 38 to 44), improved and expanded officer training and increased community trust and partnerships. Chief Roberts had a deep concern for the well-being of her employees and would devote much time to providing support to them, giving them the tools and equipment they needed, advocate for them and provide a listening ear.”

Roberts also is proud of her relationship with the school that lead to the development of a comprehensive safety plan.

“Chief Roberts has been an outstanding partner with the schools in countless ways and a trusted colleague to me,” Superintendent Peter Lancia said. “We shared many collaborative projects and I especially value our work in equity and dialogue with our immigrant and refugee communities, her participation in One Westbrook, and her support of our SRO program and safety and security initiatives. She also championed community policing programs that support our students and families and ensured that officers protected the city with compassion. Chief Roberts will be deeply missed by her friends in the schools.”

Roberts also looks at the department’s investment in their peer support group as another win that she hopes continues after her departure.

“Our team implemented critical incident debriefing. After a traumatic event, we debrief and talk about things,” Roberts said. “We bring in experienced partners in mental health, our chaplain, and we cover the emotional impact and let people know they aren’t alone.”

Roberts is leaving her post to work on a private security consulting business, Chief Cupcake’s Consulting, that would focus on helping people and businesses with general security. She looks to conduct seminars, training programs and events that teach safety tips and how to respond to threats.

“It is not really for active shooters, but more about awareness, preparedness and deescalation. It can help with how they could handle, say, a client or coworker who is having a break or another type of situation,” Roberts said.

“I’ve been working on this the past two years and this was when all of the business was really coming together. I will miss this work, at least parts of it, I won’t miss the stress. It really just hit me the other day though shining my boots. I’ve been doing this for so many years, in three months, I won’t be,” she said.

Roberts, whose last day is Dec. 31, hopes that after her departure the community outreach continues and efforts to build trust with Black residents remains a priority.

“We need to focus on connecting better with the populations whose trust we are lacking,” Roberts said. “Our city is growing, we also need more staff. We really need a mental health liaison, given the increasing amount of calls where substance misuse or mental health are a factor, as well.”

Roberts gets her head shaved for the St. Baldrick’s charity in 2017. Courtesy photo