AUBURN (NEWS CENTER Maine) — On Monday, the now-former Auburn police chief will make the same commute to work he has made the last 25 years. Only this time he'll be working on another floor, in a different department. On Friday, city officials and members from dozens of Maine police departments celebrated the retirement of Chief Phillip Crowell Jr. from the force.
Crowell is taking the role as the Auburn assistant city manager in which he will earn $115,000, according to the city's Communications and Compliance Manager.
As chief of police, his salary was $102,296, according to the city's adopted budget for Fiscal Year 2018.
“The fact that I’m able to take a position to continue serving Auburn is a blessing,” Crowell said.
Crowell isn't the first police chief in Maine to trade in the badge for another municipal leadership position.
In July, Portland's former police chief, Michael Sauschuck stepped down from that post to become an Assistant City Manager, sharing the job with Mona Bector. They both are salaried at $140,000.
“I’m an Auburn kid, grew up and raised here," Crowell said. "To now be able to go into that next level of leadership with the city organization is just a great step and transition.”
Crowell was the driving force behind the new Maine law enforcement accreditation program. He also started Auburn's Citizen Police Academy and the first Somali Citizen's Academy. He was named Chief of the Year by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association back in February.
He started at the Auburn Police Department as a patrol officer and eventually became a detective. In that role he worked on cases involving sexual abuse and child abuse. He later became deputy chief and eventually, chief, in which he served for the last 12 years.
