Maine City Announces Official Removal of Police Chief

A city in eastern Maine has made the tough decision to terminate the city's police chief.

According to an article on the WCSH 6 website, Ellsworth's city council voted 6-0 on Monday evening to remove Chief of Police Glenn Moshier from his position.

Moshier had also been Ellsworth's city manager.

The WCSH 6 article explains that he was placed on leave from both positions earlier this year.  He had reportedly been placed on leave because of an investigation.

Following the vote to remove Moshier as police chief, the council voted to make Deputy Police Chief Troy Bires the interim police chief.

The article goes on to say that Matthew Willaims will continue to serve as the interim city manager. However, he probably will not be in that position much longer.  Providing the city council ratifies the appointment at an upcoming meeting, Charles Pearces will take over as city manager on April 1.

Because of state laws, the specifics of the investigation that led to the current situation have not been disclosed.

The article quotes city councilor Steve O'Halloran as saying:

The investigation is complete and the information will likely never be released unless there is an agreement with legal counsel

The city released a statement about the situation.  The letter specifically covers the need for 'closed door' meetings.  That statement, posted on the city's website, says in part:

For our City to run smoothly, the citizens must have trust in the members of the City Council, and that trust is created through transparent communication about our priorities and plans.  However, the City Council is aware that the number of executive sessions over the past few months has created some frustration.

You can read the full letter HERE.