Grinnell promoted to Dexter PD detective lieutenant

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DEXTER — Kevin Wintle remembers the day when he and Alan Grinnell both joined the Dexter Police Department in 1987. “We both went for an interview with Chief (David) Clukey on the same day. So I came out and saw Alan in the hallway, and said to myself: ‘Holy smokes. I feel bad for this guy,’” Wintle said.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    PROMOTION — Sgt. Alan Grinnell, left, was promoted to detective lieutenant at the Sept. 12 Dexter Town Council meeting. His oath was administered by Town Manager Linda-Jean Briggs as Chief Kevin Wintle looks on.

    On Thursday night, Wintle, now chief of police, announced the promotion of Grinnell to the rank of detective lieutenant, a position made possible by the Town Council’s support for a fifth officer on the force.
    Grinnell was promoted to corporal in 2007 and sergeant in 2010. “He’s a very devoted employee. There isn’t one second in the day when I don’t see this guy working,” Wintle said. “He sets a good example for the new guys coming up through (the ranks).”
    Wintle said that the key reason for Grinnell’s advancement was simple: “Alan solves crime. I’ll put him up against the best, whether it’s the sheriff’s office or other police departments. I feel he should have been promoted to an investigative position a long time ago.”
    Grinnell will be concentrating on felony crimes, which Wintle said are a concern in the community. “Our complaints doubled from (the year) 2011 to 2012 to 4,400,” said the chief. However, the department’s clearance rate is one of the best in the county, said Wintle “and the reason for that is Alan Grinnell.”
    The new detective lieutenant just completed a drug recognition course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy which will help him better evaluate suspects in crimes who are under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both. “A lot of towns don’t have someone with this certification,” Wintle said.
    Grinnell joked that his wife asked him recently if he was ever going to stop working, and he replied, “Probably when I get to heaven. But then she said. ‘There probably won’t be any Dexter P.D. in heaven.’”
    Grinnell said that the town of Dexter “is not just a community, but my life and I try to do my best to serve it. I appreciate all the support and all the kind things said about me.”
    Grinnell’s new badge and insignia were pinned on by his son, Spencer, a part-time patrol officer with the Fairfield Police Department.