By Ed Pierce
Every day that Windham Police Officer Hannah Gower puts on her uniform, she’s aware of how tough it is to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law.
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| Hannah Gower has joined the Windham Police Department as a patrol officer. She is a 2024 graduate of Saint Joseph's College of Maine and earned a Bachelor of Science degree while majoring in criminal justice. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
She just started working for the Windham police and currently is in the process of field training for the department. But before landing the position as a patrol officer for the town, Gower served as an intern for nine months at the Windham Police Department during her senior year of college, getting to know the officers and staff before being sworn in for duty.
“In my opinion, one of the best parts about being a law enforcement officer is being able to help the community in many ways and being able to be interact with the community as well,” Gower said. “One of the most challenging aspects of being a law enforcement officer is the high stress associated with some of the calls that we need to handle and also not being able to see our families sometimes.”
Originally from Scarborough, Gower has recently moved to Standish and graduated in May from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Once she completes field training, she will help enforce motor vehicle laws, regulate traffic, check vehicle speeds, and issue warnings, citations, and summons to violators. She will investigate traffic accidents to determine the cause, respond to emergencies such as distress calls, accidents, stranded motorists or during adverse weather conditions. Gower will investigate reports of suspicious activity, crimes, and accidents, interview witnesses and suspects, detain suspects until first responders arrive, search vehicles for drugs or paraphernalia, make arrests, prepare written reports and field notes of investigations and patrol activities, and then testify in court.
According to Gower, she’s settling in at her new job and takes her work seriously.
“My most memorable moment of working as a police officer in Windham so far has been being able to learn the job and gain a better understanding of the community and being able to interact with the community,” she said. “One of the first reasons as to why I wanted to apply to the Windham Police Department was because I was able to really get to know everyone within the department and I felt very welcome with not only the department, but also from the community when I started my internship. I also really like the area of Windham.”
She says she’s appreciative for the chance to prove herself as a skilled and capable law enforcement officer.
"I am beyond grateful for all the family members that have pointed me in the right direction and helped me along this journey of following my dream to become a law enforcement officer,” Gower said. “And I am very thankful for the Windham Police Department for all the opportunities that I have been given and welcoming me into their family."
Gower said that her family approves of her career choice of working in law enforcement and is extremely proud of her.
“My family has been very supportive of my career choice,” she said. “I have had many other family members that have worked within fire departments, police departments, fire marshals and the U.S. marshals. Overall, my family is very excited that I have followed my dream of being a law enforcement officer.”
Of everything Gower has learned about her profession so far, one thing stands out.
“Something that the public might not know about law enforcement is the stress level that police officers go through and never knowing what the day is going to bring,” she said. “One aspect of the job that I think that I am good at is being able to talk and communicate with the community and adapt and learn to become a better law enforcement officer. <
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