Calaman resigns from Houlton Police Department

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
 HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Police Department is without a detective following the abrupt resignation of Kris Calaman.
Calaman, who has served as detective for the force since May 9, 2011, resigned from the position as of Thursday. Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said he could not elaborate on Calaman’s resignation, referring all questions to Calaman himself.    Calaman declined to elaborate on his reasons for resigning when contacted by the Houlton Pioneer Times.
“It was great working with the Houlton Police Department for the past five years,” Calaman said Monday morning. “I have my sights set on some other places and I am sure I will have another adventure.”
Calaman was a full-time officer since joining the force in July 2008 and was a graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in May of 2010. He took over the post of detective after the retirement of Carolyn Crandall, who had been with the Houlton Police Department for 21 years.
In February, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contacted Calaman, as they were going to put a task force together. The initiative was directed to help prevent pharmaceutical robbery and curb opiate use in Maine. He was deputized as a federal agent in July, which gave him the right to enforce federal laws in these cases. That designation is now nullified, unless Calaman signs on with a different police department.
Chief Asselin said, for the time being, the Houlton Police Department will not have a detective on staff to investigate cases.
“We have to go through the process of posting it and scheduling an oral board,” the chief said. “(The HPD will have) no detective until then.”
In the past, those oral boards have involved interviews with officials from not only the Houlton Police Department, but also the Maine State Police, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a representative from the town of Houlton.