Windham resident joins Maine Marine Patrol

From left are DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher, Marine
Patrol Colonel Jay Carroll, new Marine Patrol officers Lexis
Elston of Windham, Kaelyn Kuhl and Timothy Beauchamp,
and Marine Patrol Captain  Matthew Talbot following a 
swearing in ceremony for new Marine Patrol officers on
July 29 in Augusta. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

AUGUSTA — The Department of Marine Resources has sworn in three new Marine Patrol officers who will serve the Downeast region, including one from Windham.

Lexis Elston of Windham joined Kaelyn Kuni of Saco and Tim Beauchamp of York in being sworn in for the force in July.

The new officers were sworn in by Commissioner Patrick Keliher on Thursday, July 29 at the Maine Department of Marine Resources' Augusta headquarters.

Officers Elston and Kuni recently graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy's (MCJA) Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) and are currently taking part in Marine Patrols nine-week Field Officer Training program before they begin their assigned patrols.

Officer Kuni will serve in the Milbridge-Steuben patrol, and Officer Elston will serve in the Jonesport-Beals-Addison patrol. Officer Beauchamp will complete the MCJAs Pre-Service Training Program in August and will begin serving in the Machias patrol after completing Field Officer training. He is scheduled to attend the 18-week BLEPT program in January.

Officer Elston served as an Assistant Park Ranger for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Previously, she worked in Communications and Fisheries Education for the Stonington based non-profit Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF). 

 

She has also served as a multimedia assistant to the Portland-based non-profit sailing school, Sail Maine. Elston earned an Associate of Science degree in Marine Science from Southern Maine Community College and is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marine Ecology from the University of Maine at Machias.

"These new Officers will add much-needed coverage in the busy downeast region," said Colonel Jay Carroll. "Each one brings significant unique and relevant experience to the positions. They provide a depth of knowledge and background in resource issues and law enforcement which are vital in the work of a Maine Marine Patrol Officer."

The Maine Marine Patrol is the oldest law enforcement organization in the state. Its roots can be traced to 1869, when the Maine Legislature authorized two Fisheries Commissioners who were charged with conservation of sea-run fish species on a statewide basis.

Today's Marine Patrol is a bureau of the Maine Department of Marine Resources that provides law enforcement, search and rescue, public health, and maritime security on Maine's coastal and tidal waters.

The bureau is divided into two field divisions with a lieutenant supervising a regional office in each division. Each division is divided into three sections with a field sergeant in charge of six officers in each section.

Today's Marine Patrol Officer is a highly trained law enforcement officer who is certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Marine Patrol Officers conduct investigations and enforcement of Maine’s marine resource laws and regulations, as well as other laws within the jurisdiction of the State of Maine.

MPOs are also deputized as National Marine Fisheries Service Federal Enforcement Agents for the purposes of enforcing federal fisheries laws through Joint Enforcement Cooperative Agreements.

Marine Patrol Officers are instilled with the same philosophy that guided the wardens 100 years ago, which is to be impartial and to work in close cooperation with Maine's fishing industries.

The Maine Marine Patrol itself is a bureau of the Maine Department of Marine Resources that provides law enforcement, search and rescue, public health, and maritime security on Maine's coastal and tidal waters.

More information can be found at https://www.maine.gov/dmr/marine-patrol/index.html <