The Freeport Police Department has gained a lieutenant and lost its first marine resource conservation officer.

Nate Goodman, formerly a sergeant and a member of the police force for 19 years, is the new lieutenant, succeeding Susan Nourse, now the police chief. Nourse, with the force for 31 years and the last 11 as lieutentenant, replaced Jerry Schofield, who retired, as chief in early June.

Andrew Durgin, meanwhile, has left his job as marine resource conservation officer, and will be training in Georgia for a position with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Jackman.

“It was nothing bad about Freeport,” Durgin said, “and I think I left the town in good hands. I’ll be doing passenger and cargo screening and general immigration enforcement. It was an opportunity that came up.”

John Perrino remains sergeant on the force. Nourse said Monday that the process for promoting a new sergeant has not yet started. The department also plans to fill the job of marine resource conservation officer.

Goodman, who spent his first day in the new position on Tuesday, was on vacation and not available for comment prior to the Tri-Town Weekly publication deadline. He became sergeant in 2004. Goodman has an associate’s degree in criminal justice/law-enforcement technology from Southern Maine Community College. He is a lead firearms instructor with the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

Joseph said he confirmed Nourse’s choice to promote Goodman.

“Length of experience was a factor,” he said. “I think he’ll be a great fit as one of the top two leaders of the department. He’s well respected over there. He’s very open and accessible to talking to people.”

Nourse said that Goodman has a solid law-enforcement resume.

“Prior to the sergeant’s promotion, he served almost three years with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency working out of the Portland field office,” she said in an email. “He has extensive training and knowledge related to firearms and serves as lead instructor in Freeport and at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.  He stays connected with the community through coaching and church activities.

“Lt. Goodman’s work ethic and ‘lead from the front’ approach to law enforcement is honored and respected by fellow officers and those with whom he interacts in the business and residential community,” she said.

Goodman is a volunteer boys and girls basketball coach at Pine Tree Academy in Freeport, and a deacon at the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Brunswick.

Durgin became Freeport’s first marine resource conservation officer last June. He patrolled the clam flats along the Harraseeket River on the enforcement end of the job. He also was responsible for resource conservation and shellfish management.

Durgin has a degree in conservation law enforcement from Unity College, and a master’s in public administration from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass. He had been deputy sheriff with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re definitely looking for someone who is working with the same skill set,” Joesph said. “It’s a huge contact position, and you see the same people. This is someone who is working with the shellfish harvesting community every single day.”

Joseph said that the marine resource conservation officer should have both a law-enforcement background and marine wildlife biology experience.

“It’s not likely that someone is going to have both of those coming into it,” he said.

Andrew Durgin, right, who resigned two weeks aso as marine resource conservation officer in Freeport, chats with Chairman Doug Leland during a meeting of the Freeport Shellfish Conservation Commission.

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