THOMASTON — With a new chief in the building, shuffling has taken place at Thomaston Police Department: positions, schedules, initiatives.

Along with the swearing-in and pinning ceremony for Thomaston’s next Police Chief, which occurred Wednesday evening, Oct. 15, 2025, during a meeting of the Thomaston Select Board, the ceremony also made official the swapping of titles between Chris Hansen and Paul Spear. Spear will now carry the title of Sergeant while Hansen returns to regular patrol as a way to take a break from the additional, time-consuming duties he’s amassed in the recent past.

Town Manager Kara George said that in just a few short months, the new chief, Eric Quatrano, has brought fresh energy, new ideas, and clear visions for the future of Thomaston. Quatrano has described himself as a leader who leads from the front, and George was ready with a list of examples from Quatrano’s first Chief’s report to prove that point. According to the list, in the past three weeks, Quatrano has begun his initiative to strengthening relationships with neighboring police and sheriff’s departments and has commenced his goal of having officers visiting the schools more often. He’s also ordered new training modules, software and equipment for the officers.

He is scheduling three officers for patrol during the busiest periods of the day – which tend to fall around commuter traffic time (traffic being one of the most often complaints that the Town hears). To achieve this, Thomaston is reviewing applications for the current opening at Thomaston PD (with interviews to follow in a couple of weeks), and Quatrano has set his own schedule to be four ten-hour shifts per week, alternating each month; example: from Monday-Thursday one month; Tuesday – Friday the next, so that he has experience with all days of the week.

“I want to department to be forward facing as opposed to being behind the scenes, so to speak,” he said. “[So] Anything that I can do to get us out in public.”

He also wants to get the public involved a lot more, and to get the youth involved. Officers have begun stopping in at local businesses in order to get to know business owners and employees. Down the road, Quatrano wants to start a Coffee with a Cop, and is thinking about hosting a Citizen’s Police Academy.

“I think the department is in a much forward moving motion right now,” he said. “In the community, people have been super supportive of me and the Town and the police department. The officers here are incredible. It’s been great.”

When Quatrano came to work as a patrol officer earlier this year, “it didn’t take long for everyone to see his leadership, professionalism, and strong commitment to community service,” said Town Manager Kara George.

His background includes more than 14 years of service, having previously served in Windham and Oxford, where he advanced to the rank of sergeant. And now, Thomaston.

“Thank you for your support, the Town’s support, the Board, the department,” said Quatrano. “I couldn’t be more happy. I’m looking forward to continuing and getting to work, and moving us forward.”

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Select Board Chairperson Chris Rector thanked Chris Hansen for his recent assistance when Thomaston was without a chief. Hansen carried the duties of chief on top of his regular work as sergeant. Ultimately, he chose not to seek the chief position for himself, preferring instead to lighten his load for the time being.

“He did really an exceptional job,” said Rector, “leading us and keeping the department together for an extended period of time, through a variety of different challenges. I can’t thank you enough, Chris. You did an exceptional job. And you went above and beyond what we even anticipated.”

George added that Hansen took on additional responsibilities, supported his fellow officers, worked tirelessly “to maintain the high standards of our department,” and sacrificed a lot of time away from family.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com