In 2023, Rockland officers didn’t wait for an invitation to assist a Thomaston officer when the report came of a suspicious device in the doorway of a Thomaston major retail store. In 2022, a Thomaston police officer was first on scene to a violent incident at a home in nearby Warren. And in 1979, a Thomaston officer went to the aid of a Rockland officer who had encountered a large congregation of people that reportedly had a gun within that crowd.

The Rockland officers (and then Knox County Sheriff’s deputies) expressed relief that the suspicious device was harmless.

The Thomaston officer who went to Warren was applauded for his determination.

And the Thomaston officer who went to Rockland back in 1979 was reprimanded and therefore felt obligated to resign.

Visitors from outside Knox County are impressed by the Knox Regional Communications Center, according to former Owls Head Fire Chief Frank Ross. They are equally impressed by the 1952 fire department mutual aid pacts of this area that are heavily relied on to this day.

Yet more than 40 years would go by before local law enforcement would truly work in collaboration.

In 1979, when the Rockland police officer on duty encountered a large group, and it was reported that someone had a gun, the officer put out the alarm, drawing an estimated 30 law enforcement agents from around the county – mostly from Rockland and the Sheriff’s Office. That call for help also drew the Rockport officer on duty, as well as the Thomaston one.

Accounts of what actually happened, how long police were on scene, and what was involved in dispersing the crowd were not reported in a particular news article from 1979. However, a different story came to light.

The following morning, the Thomaston Town Manager heard about the incident. His response was to reprimand the Thomaston officer for crossing over town lines the night before. This drew an angry resignation from the officer, who stated that as an officer, he knew what it was like to be on duty when someone had a gun, and therefore he was not going to feel bad for going to that Rockland officer’s aid.

Now, in 2023, local police have done a complete turn around. Agencies are now often elbow to elbow, depending on each other more than ever to get the job done.