HOULTON, Maine — A 26-year veteran of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department has been chosen as the 2012 Maine Sheriff’s Association Manager of the Year.
Lt. Darrell O. Crandall Jr., of Houlton received the award Jan. 10 at an awards banquet. Crandall serves as a commander in the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, a position he has held since 2005. In this role, he is responsible for the operational oversight of four drug task forces based in Augusta, Bangor, Ellsworth and Houlton.
“I learned of the award early one morning in December when Sheriff (James) Madore called to tell me the news,” Crandall said. “I was not expecting it at all, and was surprised and humbled. It means a great deal to me that Sheriff Madore feels my service was worthy of his nomination. The honor was also magnified for me because my father was one of the early members of the Maine Sheriff’s Association during his tenure as Aroostook County Sheriff. As a boy growing up in the 1970’s I would go to the MSA meetings with him and I knew many of the sheriffs personally.”
The MSA’s Manager of the Year award is given to a full-time employee who is in an administrative position, such as chief deputy, jail administrator, program administrators or high-ranking supervisors. Someone who has demonstrated exemplary management skills and creativity above and beyond what is required and who has made a major contribution to their department.
Crandall and his wife Jane attended the ceremony along with Sheriff Madore and his wife, Linda and Sgt. Shawn Gillen and his wife, Amy. It was Sheriff Madore who nominated Crandall for the award.
“Lt. Crandall continues to be an asset to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and to the agency to which he is assigned, MDEA,” Madore said. “He is a valuable, trustworthy, and dedicated employee who, through his work ethic, brings acclaim to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.”
His father Darrell Sr., now deceased, worked for the Sheriff’s Department for a number of years and as a child he often accompanied his father.
Crandall started his career with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office in 1985 as a corrections officer and attended the basic correction training. He quickly transitioned to working as a patrol deputy and graduated from the Basic Municipal/County Police Academy in 1987. He continued in that role until 1989, at which time he was assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (then the Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement – BIDE).
“I was a jail guard at first, and was also given the opportunity early on to work weekend patrol shifts in Island Falls, Crandall recalled. “In the summer of 1986, I was transferred full-time to the patrol division, covering an area from Monticello to Sherman. In 1987 I became a K-9 handler – probably one of the most personally rewarding assignments of my career. In October of 1989, I was assigned as an agent with MDEA. In 1993 I was promoted to a field supervisory position with MDEA, in which I was responsible for the direct supervision of all drug enforcement operations in Aroostook and Washington Counties. I was also promoted to sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office that year. I continued in that role for 12 years, also managing MDEA’s lab team for most of that time.
“Frankly, there are a lot of stressful and frustrating aspects of modern policing,” Crandall said. “After nearly 28 years in this business, I freely admit that not every aspect of my job remains enjoyable. However, when our agents do something that has a clear and positive impact on the life of a family, and especially a child, I feel like we have really accomplished something.”
Crandall said he was proud to have helped develop MDEA’s Drug Endangered Children (DEC) protocols a number of years ago.
“This program trains agents to identify children who are neglected, abused or are otherwise at risk because of their caregivers’ abuse of drugs and related criminal behavior,” he said. “This program mandates procedures that our agents follow when one of these unfortunate situations is encountered. We work with child protective workers, the medical community and others concerned to get these children into a safe environment as quickly as possible. One of my most prized accomplishments is being part of changing the way we communicate with other important stakeholders when a child’s safety, security and well-being are in jeopardy.”
While his job has evolved over the years, his passion to help those in need has never wavered.
“I am no longer on the front lines of enforcement, but I am required to review and approve nearly every operation,” Crandall said. “I have to admit that it was easier to go myself then to send others into harm’s way. I worry about them a lot. I focus a lot of my time making sure that the field troops have what they need to be as prepared and safe as they can be. That may come in the form of providing training, equipment or any number of things that will make their work more efficient. I am also responsible to make sure their duties are always carried out in compliance with the Constitution and applicable state and federal laws, as well as MDEA policies and procedures.”
