SABATTUS — Cases are still left to close in Portland, new-hire background checks left to do. Tony Ward is waiting until Friday to firmly cap his 26-year career with Portland police, where he’s worked since college.

In Maine’s largest city, he’s overseen dozens of officers, served as a detective, worked crime scenes CSI-style, and volunteered for overtime shifts walking the Old Port most summer weekends.

On Monday, Ward will start as Sabattus’ new police chief.

Asked about a break to switch gears, he laughed. He is taking the weekend off.

“I’m committed,” Ward said Tuesday. “You’ll find out I don’t do anything part way, you do it all in or not at all.”

He’ll be sworn in at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Town Office. The public is welcome.

Ward, 47, edged out 55 other candidates for the job. He grew up in Harrison and graduated from Oxford Hills High School in 1983. He started with the Portland Police Department working the front desk while he earned an associate degree in law enforcement technology from then-Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute.

Over the years, he earned several more degrees and worked his way up to lieutenant. Ward has headed internal affairs investigations and has been the chief’s assistant on special projects for the past two years.

He’s ready for a change.

“The thing about Portland — I’ve loved my time here; it’s been fantastic — but trying to make a big difference in the whole community is a very daunting, if not impossible, thing to do,” Ward said. “In a small community, you can go in and problem-solve with the community and make a difference for the whole community. That’s what attracted me to it.”

He intends to introduce himself around town, walking Main Street and visiting businesses. The town’s longtime former chief, Thomas Fales, retired this past summer.

“People have got to know who I am,” Ward said.

He wants to hear about concerns, even the small stuff. Noise. Traffic. Junkyards.

“Quality of life issues, while it might not be crimes, make a big difference to communities,” Ward said. “I want to find out, what does the town think their problems are, or what issues do they see? Then we can start problem-solving.”

Ward lives in Gray with his wife and has a son and daughter going to college for biology and psychology. His commute to Sabattus will be shorter than the commute to Portland, he said.

When he’s not working, Ward said he can often be found on the soccer field. He officiated 50 to 60 youth and and high school games this fall. He’s also a coach with the Patriots Soccer Club, a youth club in Gray-New Gloucester. This was his 11th year as coach, a longer stint than he’d intended.

“(After) my son went through the program and aged out, then I thought, ‘I’m done my coaching; I’ve done my dad thing,’” Ward said. “The following year, they had a group of 8-year-old boys who didn’t have a coach and they were going to have to disband the team. My soft side got to me, so I decided to come in and coach those boys so they could play, and I’ve been with them since.

“I’m not the type of person who wants to sit at home and watch TV or read a book all the time.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com

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