KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Six years after retiring from the field, Chris Simeoni
Kennebunkport Police Department.
The post is not his first time at the top of one of the town’s departments. In taking on this new head position, he is leaving another one in town. For the past three years, Simeoni has served as the director of the Kennebunkport Public Works Department.
Simeoni said he enjoyed his time at the Public Works Department and will help his successor with the transition. However, when he speaks about his new post, it is clear this new job is a homecoming for him.
“My passion has always been in law enforcement,” he said.
Simeoni succeeds former chief Craig Sanford, who stepped down in May after 13 years at the department’s helm. Sanford now serves as a judicial marshal for the state and is working out of the York Judicial Center in Biddeford.
Simeoni said he started considering applying for the chief position after learning Sanford would be leaving. He said he missed the teamwork and camaraderie of serving alongside other police officers.
“They’re special individuals,” he said. “I think you need to be a unique person to be able to do this job.”
Simeoni retired from police work in 2018, a decision he described as difficult but the right one at the time for his young family. He joined the town’s Public Works Department, figuring he would make a good fit there, given that he has worked in construction and is an “avid” do-it-yourselfer at home. Simeoni said he also joined the Public Works Department because it was a way for him to stay involved in Kennebunkport. He became DPW director in 2021.
During his time in public works, Simeoni maintained his certification in law enforcement and actively served as a reserve officer for the Kennebunkport PD.
“I would come in for the details they needed help on, for staffing for July 4, Prelude, Memorial Day,” he said. “I worked a lot of those events. I did some road shifts, here and there.”
Previous story:Kennebunkport Police Chief Craig Sanford moving on after 13 years as town's top cop
Simeoni was born in Dover, New Hampshire, and grew up in North Berwick. He graduated from Noble High School in 1992. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in criminology and an associate degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine. He is also certified as an active and full-time law enforcement officer by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
Simeoni ready to lead Kennebunkport Police Department
Simeoni started as a reserve officer with the Kennebunkport Police Department in 1997. He officially became a police officer in 1998. Since then, he has served as a senior patrol sergeant, a position that Town Manager Laurie Smith said taught him supervisory and managerial skills, as well as an understanding of laws at the local, state, and federal levels.
"His extensive experience in law enforcement, coupled with his strong leadership in public works, makes him uniquely qualified to lead our Police Department,” Smith said.
Simeoni said he is drawn to law enforcement because it offers opportunities to help people and to be a part of a community.
“There’s so many facets to this,” he said. “It’s not just law enforcement. There are all these other interactions that we have with the community that can make a difference so that people can feel connected.”
Simeoni said people in Kennebunkport value feeling protected and knowing their police officers on a personal level. He said it is rewarding when he helps people, especially on calls related to mental health, and they later reach out to him to thank him for assisting them in their time of need.
“I think when people feel like they’ve been treated fairly, they recognize that, and they come back and tell you that,” he said. “I appreciate that.”
When the town announced that he would become the next police chief, Simeoni said he even heard from people he had “dealt with in the past.”
“They just wanted to say congratulations,” he said.
Simeoni said residents can expect the same level of service under his leadership that they have come to know and expect from the Kennebunkport Police Department.
“Moving forward, you’ll probably see us involved in more community-type events,” he said. “You’ll certainly have a Police Department with an open-door policy. People can come in and speak to somebody to address their concerns. We will continue the same rate of service that has been provided.”
Police work is not a “black-and-white” job, Simeoni said. A lot of decision-making falls on officers, who are entrusted by the public to use their discretion in such matters, he added. There are statutes in place that take away some of that discretion and call for certain action, he said.
“But for the most part, officers have a fair amount of discretion in how they carry out their duties,” Simeoni said. “It’s definitely not black-and-white. You can achieve different outcomes or resolutions in a variety of different pathways.”
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