Sgt. Perry Hatch returned to the Wiscasset Police Department Feb. 1. Hatch had worked for the department beginning in 2011, then left briefly in 2015, then left again in 2017. Hatch’s background also included tenure with the Maine State Police.

During his brief hiatus, during which he worked as a security professional for an industrial park in Auburn, Hatch said there were some changes to get used to. “In the first place, nearly everyone who was here when I worked here last is gone,” he said with a laugh. Only two part-time officers are still with the department, and Wiscasset has a new police chief, two new full-time officers; and the previous sergeant left. The town, too, has seen changes, including the departure of Town Manager Marian Anderson, and turnover in Wiscasset Ambulance Service.

There have been other changes, too. “We have body cameras now,” Hatch said. “That takes some getting used to.” There have been changes to some of the software programs, but luckily, Hatch said, he taught the use of the Maine Crash software at the Academy. The logging software is not new to him, either, but he is using a different part of the software, meant for supervisors. “I’d say the changes to the programs are to make them ‘cop-proof’,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”

Hatch said his plan is to remain with the department until his children are out of school. “My baby doesn’t graduate (from Richmond High School) for nine years. Then I’m thinking a permanent retirement.”

Hatch plans to go west after retirement – to Wyoming. Among other interests, he takes photographs, and enjoys photographing wildlife. He said he has one byline, for a hunting magazine he wrote and took pictures for, involving western bighorn sheep. 

He is stepping into an evening shift, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., with four days on, and three days off. He and his colleagues rotate slowly, over two to three months, so they’re not always working the same days. “This way, everyone gets some weekends off over time,” he explained.

His goal is to mentor some of the new officers. “These guys aren’t young, but they are new to policing. I can teach them what I know about policing. They, on the other hand, know a lot more about computers than I do, and they can teach me what I don’t know. With a department this size, we all have something to teach one another and we all have to help one another.”

Hatch said he was happy about how many people remember him. “I went to the Father-Daughter dance (at Wiscasset Community Center) and a lot of people came up to me and told me they were glad I was back,” he said. “Same thing at the SnowBall (at Wiscasset Middle High School) on the same night.”