AUGUSTA — Kevin Lully, who over nearly three decades has worked his way up the ranks of the Augusta Police Department, has been appointed as the city’s new police chief.

City Manager Susan Robertson said Lully, her appointment to become police chief, was one of 17 applicants for the job. He rose to the top, she said, and there’s nobody better suited for the job than him.

“He’s done a great job preparing himself to become police chief. He’s transitioned through nearly every position in the police department during his tenure, so he’s knowledgeable about all aspects of police operations, and he has great experience in the community,” Robertson said. “He also has a good sense of the concerns of businesses and residents, and elected officials. He has good interpersonal skills, he’s thoughtful, he’s smart, he truly wants the best for Augusta and is truly committed to doing a great job.”

Lully, a native of Aroostook County, came to Augusta in 1995 to become a patrol officer after working as a reserve officer for the small town of Washburn. Lully said he figured he’d stick around Augusta for about three years, then return north for a job closer to his family there. But now he’s been a police officer for the city of Augusta ever since, and he considers Augusta home.

“I’m super excited,” Lully said Thursday. “When I first got into law enforcement, it wasn’t even a thought in my mind, to become a police administrator.

“It has been great. It seems like each promotion and opportunity I was able to participate in allowed me to view things from a little bit different lens, giving glimpses of what I might be interested in doing. My aspirations changed, about the time I was promoted to lieutenant.”

Lully’s roles with the department included field training officer, crime prevention officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, division commander and deputy chief. He also helped start the department’s first special response team.

Lully said growing up he originally thought he’d go to work in the family business at his father’s restaurant, but changed plans after talking to Maine State Police troopers at a job fair in high school. He said after an internship he had no doubt in his mind that he wanted to be a law enforcement officer as a career. He said he loves that each day on the job is different.

Jared Mills, the city’s former police chief who is set to take Robertson’s place as city manager on April 1 when she steps down, said Lully was already working for Augusta police when he joined the department in 1998.  When Mills started as a patrol officer, Lully was his training officer. They went up through the ranks of the department on a similar pace, taking FBI Academy and other leadership training along the way. He said he chose Lully as his deputy chief because of how he proved himself and showed his skills as a supervisor.

Lully was appointed interim chief in November 2023, when Mills briefly retired from the city before being rehired as assistant city manager and human resources director. But, Mills said, Lully had already taken on many of the chief’s duties by then, after Mills began dividing his time between the police chief role and assistant city manager.

“He’s shown his abilities already,” Mills said of Lully. “I think he’ll be absolutely fantastic. He’s got a college education and a really good head on his shoulders. He’s got great common sense. The stuff that you can’t teach? He’s got it going on. I can confidently say he’s going to hit the ground running.”

Lully will be paid about $130,000 a year, said Mills.

Per the city charter, Robertson’s appointment of Lully as chief is subject to confirmation by the Augusta City Council. Councilors were scheduled to consider confirming that appointment at their meeting Thursday night.

They were also expected to consider waiving a city charter requirement that the police chief live in the city, as they also did for former Chief Robert Gregoire, who lived in Whitefield. Lully lives in China, a couple of miles past the town line with Augusta.

Lully, 52, and his wife Janet have two adult daughters: Jenna, an occupational therapist at MaineGeneral, and Madison, a second-year student at Husson College.

Lully holds an associates degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Robertson said the interview panel used to help her choose a new police chief included Bangor police Chief Mark Hathaway, Cumberland police Chief Chip Ramsey, and longtime resident and former director of Augusta Housing Authority, Amanda Bartlett.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Lawsuit alleges founder of Special Olympics Maine sexually abused child for decades

Next »

House narrowly approves bill to send fewer youths to troubled prison