ALFRED — The former commander of Maine State Police Troop A, who later served the towns of Eliot and Kittery as police chief, has been nominated as U.S. Marshal for Maine by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

Theodor Short, who has spent 40 years in law enforcement, has led a number of initiatives to enhance community safety, such as the Zero Tolerance Domestic Violence Policy, which established partnerships between the Maine State Police Criminal Investigative Division, prosecutors, advocacy groups, and local leaders to protect victims, according to Sen. Collins. He also organized Hope for the Seacoast, an effort to help southern Maine and northern New Hampshire address the opioid crisis by bringing law enforcement and the community together.

Short began his law enforcement career in the U.S. Army and was a police officer in Fairfield before joining the Maine State Police in 1982.

He was commander of Maine State Police Troop A in Alfred from 1998 to 2004, when he left to become police chief in Eliot. Later, neighboring Kittery asked him to lead their police department, and he served the two concurrently.

The Marshals Service is the enforcement arm of the federal courts, involved in virtually every federal law enforcement initiative, said Collins. Presidentially appointed U.S. Marshals direct the activities of 94 districts — one for each federal judicial district. The duties of the U.S. Marshals Service include protecting the federal judiciary, apprehending federal fugitives, managing and selling seized assets acquired by criminals through illegal activities, housing and transporting federal prisoners, and operating the Witness Security Program.

Short’s appointment requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.