HOULTON, Maine — The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office is in the midst of a transition as one veteran lawman has replaced another.
James Madore of Madawaska retired as sheriff at the end of 2014, ending a 40-year career in law enforcement. (See accompanying story.) His replacement, Darrell O. Crandall Jr. of Houlton, is no stranger to the trade either, as 2015 marks his 30th year in the profession.
A special ceremony was held Friday at the Aroostook County Superior Court to serve as a changing of the guard as Crandall was administered the oath of office. The event marked the 50th anniversary of his father, Darrell Crandall Sr., being sworn in as Aroostook County’s sheriff. Crandall Sr. was elected Aroostook County’s sheriff in 1965 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1983. He died Feb. 28, 1996.
“Becoming sheriff has been a professional goal of mine for some time,” Crandall said. “What has always been appealing to me is the challenge. If I am not challenged, I am not happy and it has been that way throughout my career.”
A large gathering filled the Houlton courtroom to witness Crandall’s swearing-in ceremony. Many of those in attendance were current and former colleagues, friends and family members. Also sworn in at the ceremony was Chief Deputy Shawn Gillen as Crandall’s second in command. Gillen was a sergeant with the sheriff’s office prior to his appointment and has run field operations for Maine Drug Enforcement Agency in Aroostook County for the past seven years.
Crandall said Madore approached him about a year and a half ago to see if he had an interest in serving as the deputy chief. The two never discussed the idea of him taking over as sheriff once Madore retired.
“There is only one sheriff at a time,” Crandall said. “It was not my style to talk about it. But when Jim told me he planned to retire, (running for the position) was very appealing to me. I had been in a very specific piece of law enforcement (MDEA) for some time. I was focused on a certain set of statutes. This change allowed me to expand my horizons.”
Taking over as sheriff was not an automatic, as Crandall had to win an election. He ran unopposed in the November election.
“I found that element very intriguing,” Crandall admitted. “Some people would shy away from that, but not me.”
Madore said he was pleased to be able to turn the Sheriff’s Office over to someone as qualified as Crandall.
“I am looking forward to seeing Darrell take this and make it his own,” Madore said. “I was able to put my mark on it and it was in rough shape when I got here in 2001. Darrell has already taken the department to a whole new level. That pleases me.”
Changes will continue to take place under Crandall’s leadership. One of the more notable changes will be an alteration to the deputy’s uniforms as Crandall said it was his desire to go back to the “old-style” uniforms.
“Every sheriff has to make the department their own,” Madore added.
“We have been friends for years, but we are different people with different approaches,” Crandall said. “Jim is far more diplomatic than I.”
As sheriff, Crandall is in charge of about 50 employees, including the staff at the Aroostook County Jail. Crandall started as a jail guard in the summer of 1985. Sheriff Edgar Wheeler selected him as a patrol deputy the following year and he was promoted to sergeant in 1993. In 2005, Sheriff Madore promoted him again, to lieutenant.
He spent more than 20 years assigned to MDEA, 12 years as a supervisor and eight as the division commander. While there, he was instrumental in creating MDEA’s drug lab response team, which he led for 14 years.
In 2007, Crandall developed a comprehensive training program on professional ethics that he has shared with hundreds of police and corrections officers in Maine. He also teaches classes on effective report writing, criminal investigations and constitutional law. He left MDEA in the fall of 2013 when Sheriff Madore offered him the job of chief deputy sheriff. In that role, he was responsible for leading more than 50 employees in the corrections, law enforcement and support services divisions.
Crandall has been the recipient of many professional awards, including the Maine Sheriffs’ Association’s Manager of the Year award in 2013. Crandall resides in Houlton with his wife Jane. The couple have two children, Clarissa and Becca, and one stepson, Riley Fitzpatrick.
