After an extensive search for two new police officers, the Cape Elizabeth Police Department held a Swearing-In Ceremony for Officers Eric Hathaway and Thomas Hale on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.  Town Clerk Debra Lane administered the Oath of Office to Hathaway and Hale at the Fire Department Meeting Room amongst the officer's family and Town colleagues.

Chief Paul Fenton said it's been a challenging couple of years for police stations across the country struggling with under staffing, "We have never been down two officers in my time here; but tough times bring out character and I cannot say how proud I am of the members of this department who pulled together."  Noting the numerous applicants considered, "We looked for a very specific type of person to bring in because it truly is a family.  We need someone who shares those values and shares that type of character."  Speaking of Hale and Hathaway, Fenton said that he saw these values and character and, "I am excited to bring you into the ranks.  As I like to say, 'We hire for character and train for the rest.'"

Officer Thomas Hale was raised in Leicester, Massachusetts.  He attended Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, MA.  After high school, he attended the University of Maine receiving an associate degree in legal technology and a bachelor’s degree in public administration.  He is a 1997 graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.  Upon graduating from the Academy, he was employed by the State of Maine as a Maine Marine Patrol Officer in southern Maine for over 25 years.  He is a MCIA Firearms and Defensive Tactics instructor, a Glock Armorer, former lead of the Marine Patrol’s Honor Guard and a licensed Coast Guard Captain.  Hale is married, has two children, and enjoys spending time on the water, at the beach, and in the woods fishing and hunting, experiencing all that the great state of Maine has to offer.

Officer Hale and his wife, Alicia.

Officer Eric Hathaway grew up in Pittsfield, Maine with three other siblings; two sisters and one brother.  All were adopted by parents, Chuck and Penny Hathaway.  Hale graduated from Maine Central Institute in 2015 and then went on to achieve a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and public safety from Husson University in 2019.  In 2019, Hale started as a Corrections Officer for the Penobscot County Jail and left for patrol in May of 2021.  Hale served as a reserve officer for the town of Dexter, before becoming a fulltime patrol officer on May 20, 2022; graduating the 41^st Basic Law Enforcement Program ranked 7^th out of 60 cadets.

Hale now lives in southern Maine and hopes to serve and protect the citizens' rights of Cape Elizabeth, as well as fuel his passion for OUI enforcement.

Officer Hathaway and his mother, Penny.