HOULTON, Maine — The Maine State Police have a new sergeant for its Major Crimes Unit following the promotion of trooper Darrin Crane during a special ceremony Monday morning.
Officials from the Maine State Police and Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, as well as Crane’s family members gathered for the service at the Troop F barracks on the North Road.
Crane is an 18-year veteran of the Maine State Police having served the first 11 years of his career with Troop F in Houlton before transferring to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for a couple of years. He returned to Troop F and for the past seven years has been a part of the Major Crimes Unit, investigating serious crimes.
The Major Crime Unit focuses on crimes such as homicides, suspicious deaths, child abuse in all its forms (physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect), sexual assaults and robberies, according to Lt. John Cote, commanding officer for Troop F.
Col. Robert Williams swore in Crane
As the northern sergeant in the Major Crimes Unit, Crane will be one of the lead officers investigating crimes of this nature. The position is separate from Troop F in that it is the “plain clothes” detective side of the agency, Cote said.
“Darrin takes my former position as the detective sergeant who oversees detectives in Aroostook and Washington counties,” Cote added. “His section will consist of six detectives.”
“I appreciate everyone being here today,” Crane said. “All of you have had a big influence in my life.”
Crane said achieving his new position has been a career goal of his for the past couple of years. While he will still be with the Major Crimes Unit, his responsibilities will change with the new position as he takes on a more supervisory role. His daily duties will include more administrative roles, but he will also still see time in the field.
“It was a surprise and a relief,” he said. “It’s an honor for me to be a sergeant for the Maine State Police.”
Crane resides in Hodgdon with his wife Michelle and children Matthew and Sidney.
