WINTHROP — Ryan Frost went to work for Winthrop Police Department while still in high school and never found any reason to leave.

On Tuesday, Frost crossed the professional finish line on that journey when he was sworn in as Winthrop’s new chief of police.

New Winthrop Police Chief Ryan Frost chats with a customer at the Full Court Deli after being sworn in earlier in the morning Tuesday at the Winthrop Town Office. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

New Winthrop Police Chief Ryan Frost gives a short speech after being sworn in Tuesday at the Winthrop Town Office. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

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“I wasn’t going to go anywhere,” Frost said after a ceremony Tuesday morning at the Town Office that drew dozens of family members, friends and law enforcement. “I love this community.”

Frost, 46, is the department’s first new chief in nearly three decades. Outgoing chief Joseph Young, who announced his retirement last month, headed the department for 29 years. Frost has served as Young’s second-in-command since he was promoted to the job of captain in 2002. Frost also was a patrol officer and sergeant.

“I’m very happy,” Young said. “He certainly had my recommendation. He was groomed for this job.”

Frost’s contract does not specify a term and will pay him $70,000 per year, Town Manager Peter Nielsen said. The town manager is solely responsible for hiring and firing department heads, but Nielsen, who has only worked for the town a few weeks, sought the advice of town councilors. He said their guidance was unanimously supportive of Frost.

“Public service is a term that is thrown around a lot, but every once in a while someone comes along to show us what that means,” Nielsen said. “Ryan Frost strikes me as that kind of person.”

Frost said his priority over the coming days and weeks will be reviewing department policies and making any updates that are needed. He also will consider promotions to present to town officials. He hopes to reinstate a police cadet program at the local schools.

“I hope I can meet your expectations and continue to do what we do best and make the community proud,” Frost told the gathering. “We have a good group of people.”

Frost joined the Winthrop police as a cadet in 1986 while still a student at nearby Monmouth Academy. Frost said the cadet program offered him invaluable opportunities to learn about the job. He knew, even then, that he wanted to be a police officer.

Frost kept his foot in the door by taking on a number of positions in emergency services, including part-time ambulance driver and public safety dispatcher — he is still a certified public safety dispatcher — and then as an unpaid reserve officer who had no power of arrest. He was sworn in as an officer in October 1987, when he was 18 years old.

“That’s when we started getting paid,” Frost said.

Frost joined the department shortly after Young took over as police chief. It was at a time in department history when the sergeants, rather than the police chief, hired new officers, which meant Young had never laid eyes on his new young officer until the day of Frost’s first day on the job. He was in the booking room waiting to fill out paperwork when Young first walked in.

“He was sitting in a chair,” Young recalled. “I thought he’d been arrested.”

Charle Clark, Young’s administrative assistant for nearly his entire career with Winthrop, said she has watched Frost grow up, both physically and professionally, and is confident the town has hired the right person for the job.

“Now I’ve got to break him in,” she joked.

Tuesday’s ceremony was populated by a number of law enforcement officers from various local and state agencies, including the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Maine State Police. Gardiner Police Chief James Toman, who graduated from Monmouth Academy a year after Frost, said he was pleased when he heard Frost had been selected as Winthrop’s new chief.

Toman joined the Gardiner Police Department right out of high school and has served there ever since, the last 12 years as its chief.

“We both started young,” Toman said.

Toman said to succeed as a town police chief, a person must possess a mixture of traits, such as common sense, reasonableness and approachability. Perhaps most importantly, a local police chief must be invested in the town he or she serves.

“You have to be visible in your community,” Toman said. “You have to be part of it. It’s a way of life.”

Those are qualities that the community recognizes in Frost, Nielsen said. Frost commands respect but never at the expense of being distant or unfriendly, and he always seems happy to meet people when he’s out and about, Nielsen said.

“He makes it look easy,” Nielsen said.

Sarah Fuller, chairwoman of the Town Council, lost count of the number of residents who lobbied for Frost’s hiring. Fuller said she’s confident the decision is the right one.

“In this case it turns out that it’s not only an easy decision, but it’s the right one as well,” Fuller said.

Town Councilor Kevin Cookson, a former Winthrop police officer, said the number of people who turned out for Tuesday’s swearing-in indicate the support Frost has in the community and among his peers in law enforcement.

Frost, in a brief address, offered his appreciation to Young for the training opportunities that allowed him to advance in his career.

“I thank you very much for that, and (for) giving me that guidance,” Frost said.

He also thanked his officers and his family, including his wife, Lisa Frost, and their two children, Andrew and Natalie.

“My wife takes the brunt of the call-outs and time away,” he said.

Lisa Frost said her husband’s selection represents years of hard work and dedication. She said he is able to handle multiple difficult situations at the same time with calm clarity and thoughtfulness.

“He does an amazing job, and on top of all that, he’s an amazing husband and father as well,” she said.

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @CraigCrosby4

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