Corrections Officer Sgt. John Donald of Franklin County Law Enforcement in Maine, received a promotion to assistant jail administrator at the beginning of November 2015. His years of service to Franklin County and his excellent service record all contributed to the promotion, which helped to a fill the gap created by the newly reopened Franklin County Jail. Sheriff Scott Nichols lauded Donald’s 16 years of service to Franklin County at the monthly county commissioners meeting where Donald’s promotion was confirmed. Donald wasted no time, his first act as assistant jail administrator coming only moments after his promotion.
His first official responsibility was to present the Corrections Officer of the Year award to his coworker Mitchell Ryan. Donald personally recommended Ryan for the award prior to his promotion and was overjoyed to be able to present it to his new subordinate.
Both Ryan and Donald reminisced about times when conditions in the department were less than ideal. Budget cuts, scheduling issues, and interdepartmental problems plagued the corrections department when Ryan began his service to Franklin County. Donald’s commendation for Ryan lauded Ryan’s positive attitude during these troubling times and complimented Ryan on not allowing it to negatively impact his perception of the corrections field.
Present at the ceremony alongside corrections staff were students enrolled in corrections officer training through Franklin County. Franklin County is the only county in Maine currently approved to hold training sessions outside of the police academy, and the corrections department felt it was important for the students to see the officers honored for their service.
With the county jail reestablished, Donald will certainly have his work cut out for him. The new jail averages 32 prisoners a day, and the task of rehabilitating them falls to Donald and his fellow corrections officers. However, with the help of officers like Ryan and the incoming students from the Franklin county training program, Donald will have no shortage of help in the years to come.