By Ed Pierce
Windham Police Officer Nicholas Sanborn believes that working tough shifts builds a strong spirit and he gratefully accepts his service to the community on the night shift.
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| Officer Nicholas Sanborn has worked for the Windham Police Department since December 2023 and his duties involve handling calls for service, enforcing Maine traffic laws, and patrolling an assigned district of the town. He's also a member of the Cumberland County RIDE Team (Regional Impaired Driving Enforcement). SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Along with that, Sanborn is also a member of the Cumberland County RIDE Team (Regional Impaired Driving Enforcement), a group of municipal and county officers and deputies from Cumberland County that work together to target impaired driving in the county.
He joined the Windham Police Department in December 2023 and has been working with the department for just over a year and a half.
“The best thing that I am able to do in my job is to bring people back to safety,” Sanborn said. “This is something that I have enjoyed in my endeavors with lifeguarding and search and rescue, and most definitely applies here. For instance, when I am able to locate a person who is missing and in need of medical attention, or in a domestic violence call where someone in the home may be making matters unsafe by being there. This job allows me to bring safety to those people and see the impact that it makes firsthand.”
According to Sanborn, the most challenging aspect of his work is responding, or being present for situations that result in the loss of human life.
“It is a necessary part of the job, but it is the most difficult because no matter how hard you try and even if you do everything right, there is no easy way to tell someone they just lost a loved one and nothing to say that will make them feel whole again in that moment,” he said.
The biggest misconception Sanborn thinks people may have about police work is that some believe they only see officers on their worst days.
“Despite that being true some of the time, it is our goal and our duty to help and hopefully improve the lives of those we meet,” Sanborn said. “We are also very involved in our community with sporting events, parades, and community outreach events.”
Originally from Standish, Sanborn attended Bonny Eagle High School where he graduated in 2018. Through the years he was involved with many extracurricular activities in Windham. That includes Boy Scout Troop 805, Windham Center Stage Theater, and the Maine Dance Center in Raymond where he would perform at Windham High School every year. He also worked for Windham as a lifeguard at Dundee Park in 2017 and remained at the park for the next four years with the various positions of Lifeguard Supervisor, Assistant Park Ranger, and Facilities Management Intern.
He studied Recreation and Tourism Management with a Concentration in Conservation Law Enforcement at the University of Maine at Machias and graduated as Salutatorian of his class.
“All my life I have been working to become a Maine Game Warden,” Sanborn said. “Despite my success in school and extracurriculars related to the career field, I did not have success in this career field. I then reached out to a few close friends within the town that helped me along my way. They encouraged me to apply to become a police officer in Windham and continued to support me through each step of the application process. I was hired in December 2023, and the rest is history.”
Sanborn’s family is greatly supportive of my position with the Windham Police. He says his family is aware of the dangers that come with his job but find comfort that he is close to home and that he’s well-supported by a department of well-trained officers. His parents are also both involved in the community as his mother has been a Windham teacher for more than 20 years.
His most memorable moment as a police officer was helping find a missing woman.
“I received a call for a missing person who had left her doctor’s appointment around 5:30 p.m. and not returned home,” Sanborn said. “The call came in well after 10 p.m. The missing woman had diabetes and other conditions and did not have her medications on her. I knew the clock was ticking. I eventually found her phone ping in Portland and was able to send officers to check the location which resulted in her receiving much needed medical treatment. The woman had fallen inside her church and was alone with no way to reach help or self-rescue.”
He considers his duties essential to the public.
“I have always wanted to have more than just a regular 9 to 5 job,” Sanborn said. “Part of becoming an Eagle Scout is to live your life in service every day and I believe that this job embodies that. Furthermore, this is not just a job but a lifestyle. It’s a reminder to live each day as a role model for the community and that an officer is never truly off duty.” <
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