Police chief announces promotion, new patrol officer

Police Chief Christopher Sanborn has announced that Michael Coffin has been promoted to sergeant from school resource officer, named his replacement and hired a new patrol officer.

Coffin, who became supervisor of the midnight shift Monday, began working in Gorham in 1999 and was assigned as a detective in 2003. He served as a task force agent for the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency from 2011-2015, when he was appointed a school resource officer. Coffin earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Southern Maine Community College.

New School Resource Officer Robert Cunningham replaces Coffin at the high school. Cunningham joined the Gorham department in March 2020. He had eight years experience as a full-time officer with Portland Police Department.

The department has also hired Vincent Perfetto, who will be assigned to the midnight patrol shift once he has completed field training and Basic Law Enforcement Training at Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

Perfetto earned an associate degree and an advanced certificate in criminal justice from Central Maine Community College in Auburn. He has also completed two phases of the Maine Law Enforcement Pre-Service Program.

The trio were sworn-in Sept. 13.

60 years ago

The Westbrook American reported Sept. 20, 1961, that Constance Felch, daughter of Mrs. Harrison Felch, was in Springfield, Massachusetts, as a 4-H Club escort for the six New England governors at the Eastern States Exposition. She was a sophomore at Gorham High School.

U.S. taxpayer debt

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service reported on Sept. 15 that the U.S. public debt was $28,427,228,984,208.34.