CAMDEN — The Camden Police Department has a new police officer, Chris Hansen, who joined the department in October.

Hansen’s most recent law enforcement experience was with the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island as a patrol officer.

Previous to that position, he served in the Coast Guard for four years and attended their law enforcement training academy in Charleston, South Carolina. Hansen said that he joined the Coast Guard to become a police officer and get the training he needed for a career in law enforcement.

During his enlistment in the Coast Guard, Hansen also spent a year on a cutter stationed in Boston. The crew on the cutter were responsible for patrolling the Maine Coast and Hansen said that experience confirmed his desire to move to Maine at some point in his future. For the rest of his tenure in the Coast Guard, he served in the Marine Safety Office with law enforcement responsibilities.

Hansen in a native of Long Island and graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he studied psychology and criminal justice.

He moved to Maine three years ago from Barrington, Rhode Island, for a job in finance and initially lived in Bangor before relocating to Camden with his family.

Hansen said that he was attracted to work with the Camden Police Department for a few reasons. He thinks it is a good opportunity to work in the community where you live and give back locally. Additionally, he believes in the importance and success of “community policing,” which he said is the “real thing” with the department.

Chief Randy Gagne said, “Hansen’s law enforcement experience, training, and appreciation for the Camden community will all be great assets for the department.”

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com