On June 16 the Scarborough Town Council made a proclamation recognizing Chief Robert Moulton for his contributions to the town of Scarborough. State Legislators also recognized Moulton in a statement. Moulton will be retiring in July after 44 years with the Scarborough Police Department. Courtesy photo Town of Scarborough

SCARBOROUGH — State of Maine Legislature and the Scarborough Town Council recognized Police Chief Robert Moulton on June 16, thanking him for 44 years of service to the town. Moulton will retire in July.

Introduced by Rep. Chris Caiazzo and co-sponsored by Sen. Anne Carney, Sen. Stacy Brenner, Rep. Kyle Bailey and Rep. Sophie Warren, an official expression of sentiment was given to Moulton after the Scarborough Town Council also made a proclamation recognizing the work he has done in Scarborough.

“Among his many accomplishments, he launched Operation HOPE, which became a model for the state regarding interactions with those suffering from substance abuse disorder and has been widely viewed as both a more compassionate and more effective way of approaching Maine’s opioid crisis,” the state document said.

Moulton started with the Scarborough Police Department as a reserve officer in 1977 and then became a patrol officer in 1978, said the Town Council’s proclamation, read by Paul Johnson, council chair. He became chief of police in 1999, and announced he will be retiring in July of this year.

“The town of Scarborough does hereby recognize retiring Chief Robert A. Moulton for his legacy of service and law enforcement to the town of Scarborough and surrounding communities, expressing our deepest appreciation for all his dedication, commitment to the citizens of the town of Scarborough and its police department, and extend to Robbie and his family our best wishes for many years of happiness in the future,” the proclamation said.

During Moulton’s time as chief, Scarborough has entered into shared service agreements with other municipalities, the proclamation said. This has led to cost-savings and increased efficiency.

Chief Robert Moulton was recognized by the Scarborough Town Council and state legislators. Courtesy photo Scarborough Police Department

Moulton thanked the town of Scarborough and state for the recognition and praise.

“I feel very blessed,” he said. “It’s been a great community. I’ve had the pleasure of working with really good police chiefs before me and department heads and town managers. I’ve seen dozens and dozens of councilors come and go, always very supportive. I’d like to thank everyone. My goal has been to try to leave the place at least as good as it was when I got here, and I hopefully managed to do that.”

Councilors also gave personal remarks of gratitude to Moulton, and Councilor Jean-Marie Caterina said she has heard “nothing but good” about him through his time in Scarborough.

“I think that we’ve got some big shoes to fill, Robbie, so thank you for everything you’ve done,” she said.

Moulton has always shown an interest in the town through his open-minded attitude, Councilor John Cloutier said.

“You’ve showed a real willingness and desire to try something new and see if it works and see what we can learn from it and to share that knowledge,” he said. “You’ve been a good example of what policing can be.”