Gov. Paul LePage has nominated Lt. Col. John Cote to take over the top spot at the Maine State Police.

Cote, who has been the deputy chief for the last two years, would succeed Col. Robert Williams, who retired in February to take over security at Colby College in Waterville.

“I am pleased to nominate Lt. Col. Cote,” LePage said in a statement Friday. “He is an experienced law enforcement professional who will help us continue to provide the highest level of service to the people of Maine. He understands the needs of the agency as we work to recruit more troopers and fight the opioid epidemic.”

Cote has been with Maine State Police for 29 years. Prior to serving as deputy chief under Williams, he commanded the state police’s Troop F in Houlton.

He has an associate degree in criminal justice/legal technology from the University of Maine and has completed numerous law enforcement professional development courses, including a 10-week program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, last year.

His nomination will be heard by the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and would then go to the Maine Senate for confirmation.

Williams had been Maine State Police chief for seven years.

LePage announced his nomination on the same day he spoke at a graduation ceremony for five new troopers at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.