By Sharon Kiley Mack
Bangor Daily News
CORNVILLE, Maine — It has been a long career for Dale Lancaster, 53, of the Maine State Police. He began as a patrol officer in Somerset County, worked his way up to troop commander, and now carries the rank of major: the man in charge of all division troops, all criminal investigation divisions and the truck division.
In that role, Lancaster has to be an effective leader. To ensure those skills, he recently attended an 11-week leadership academy at the FBI’s National Academy in Quantico, Va., graduating on Dec. 12.
He was in some pretty elite company.
“Less than 1 percent of all law enforcement officers are accepted,” Lancaster said in a recent interview. “Candidates must be 46 years old and have at least 16 to 18 years of experience.” Law enforcement leaders from all over the world attend the academy.
Lancaster is hoping the intensive training will help him in his role as he guides the 340 men and women under his command.
“All the classes were offered for command officers,” he said. “They included conflict resolution, ethical decisions, decision making and legal issues.”
Lancaster said the biggest lesson he took away from the academy is that “Maine is not unique. We all share the same problems and the same issues. People are people, no matter where they are,” and no matter who they are, he said. Many troopers bear the same personal and financial pressures as the very people they are serving.
Also, Lancaster said, all law enforcement agencies are facing tough budget issues.
“The citizens of Maine are very lucky that the majority of troopers in this state are some of the best people the state has to offer,” he said. “They are hardworking, community-oriented people.”
Troopers can be found on town councils, school boards, volunteering at summer camps and basketball clinics, or checking on a town’s elderly residents.
Lancaster, who is from Cornville, is married and a father of three daughters, said he began his law enforcement career in June 1974 as a county deputy and moved to the Maine State Police 10 years later.
“There have been so many changes in those years, especially technology,” he said. While today’s troopers on the road have computers a fingertip away in their cruisers, Lancaster recalls having to radio the dispatch center about a driver’s status.
“They had a great big book with thousands of pages that they had to search through,” he said. “Today, it is all computerized and what took many, many minutes now takes seconds.”
“Also, the educational level of new troopers is much greater than it used to be. How we do business has evolved, from how we deal with domestic violence to the greater comprehension and depth of our investigations. We also are a lot more aggressive in identifying law enforcement issues and trends.”
When he was on road patrol, Lancaster said, “the stresses and challenges of my life were a little more simple. I just had to worry about myself and doing a good job.”
“But as you move up the chain of command, the responsibilities become more, the budget issues become more, everything is much more real and carries a different weight.”
One of the most troubling changes, Lancaster said, is the “uncaring” nature of many perpetrators.
“Many people just don’t seem to care anymore,” he said. “More and more we see a general disconnect from empathy and compassion.”
Lancaster said that most Maine people, however, are hardworking, law-abiding residents, who are all feeling the strain of tough financial times.
Right now, Lancaster said, the top issue within the department is the budget and maintaining and attempting to increase the number of on-the-road troopers. For example, there are six troopers patrolling Somerset County, a county roughly the size of Rhode Island. Not all are on duty at once, he said, since they work various shifts. “We haven’t had any significant increase in the number of troopers since I’ve been on board - 25 years.
“This means that troopers are much more reactive than proactive,” he said. “It is definitely challenging. We recognize that Maine is in some tough economic times and we are fortunate to hold on to what we have. A lot of people are hurting.”
Lancaster said the cost of his leadership training was paid by the FBI, with the state picking up his salary and travel costs. As Maine’s ambassador at the academy, Lancaster said he repeatedly heard two things: “I have a camp there” or “I’d like to have a camp there.”
Copyright 2009 Bangor Daily News