It’s been almost two years since Doug Snyder became Boothbay Harbor police chief after Chief Bob Hasch retired. Snyder had previously spent almost seven years as an officer for Boothbay Harbor Police Department (BHPD), but his career started long before that. 

“Just helping people in general is what makes me do this every day,” he explained. 

Snyder's journey began days after his high school graduation when he enrolled in the Coast Guard, following in the footsteps of his father’s 23-year career with the Coast Guard. However, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their fallout left the greatest impact on Snyder's career trajectory. Sydner, who graduated high school in Long Island, New York, knew several people whose loved ones died during the assault. He also cited the death of Coast Guard member Nathan Bruckenthal during the subsequent Iraq War. Bruckenthal, the first Coast Guard member to die overseas since Vietnam, had grown up in the area Snyder attended high school, and Snyder’s father knew him personally. 

Snyder was 19 at the time and already had about a year of Coast Guard service under his belt. He recalled the organization's shift from search and rescue to a law enforcement role, including its move from the U.S. Department of Transportation to Homeland Security. One of his responsibilities during his tenure in Boothbay Harbor (2002-2006) was to take a boat to Bath Iron Works twice a day to do security checks.  

The impacts of Sept. 11 followed Snyder down to Virginia where he joined the Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT), a counter-terrorism division of the Coast Guard created due to the attacks. Snyder fell in love with dog handling during this time. Snyder is something of a dog person with four hounds at home, including Lucas (his retired bomb dog from Afghanistan), Cody (aka Howard), Rousey and Bruin. The prevalence of K9 units in traditional law enforcement was part of the reason Snyder switched career paths. 

From there, he bounced around the world from Afghanistan, to Italy, and Texas. Yet, the Boothbay region stuck in Snyder's mind. “I've moved 20 times in my life, and this was the only place where I felt like it was home. That’s what brought me back," he said.  

But Snyder's time as chief has brought its own set of challenges, particularly lack of staffing. Currently, BHPD has four full-time staff members. This includes two “green pin” staffers a.k.a., those who have completed training courses to operate as officers but have yet to go to the Police Academy to become “blue pins.” “Green pins” have certain power limitations, such as an inability to investigate serious injury car crashes, and do pursuits, among other things. However, these staffers are set to go to the academy this January.  

“We're a very young department, and I would like to see some more senior people or blue pins, but I don't know if that will happen,” said Snyder. He pointed to the high cost of housing in the region, and the long drive down the peninsula that would make it unfeasible for an officer to move to a cheaper area further away. He did credit the town for upping the pay, so the department had a competitive rate, as well as a sign-on bonus, but still expressed doubts over its effectiveness. Some of the issues come down to a change in culture, as Snyder says every agency in every state is dealing with shortages.  

One of the solutions he’s been pursuing is staying involved with Bath Tech’s new criminal justice course and using it as a “feeder program” for the department. Snyder has gotten all his Community Service Officers, who deal with local parking, from the course, and several have expressed interest in becoming reserve or full-time officers.  

This continual flow of students is essential as studies show that people are only staying in law enforcement positions for five years on average, according to Snyder. “(If) we're going to be able to maintain any kind of department here I need to look at it like, every five years, someone's going to be leaving me.” 

This all goes back to Snyder's goal to have his department be an active force in the community, and to make it safer for everyone. “If we're the scary people, how's that serving anyone?” The department recently received positive feedback for closing down streets on Halloween for trick or treaters.  

Snyder is also looking out for the peninsula's older population, especially ones with dementia who may be susceptible to wandering off, as the winter draws closer. Snyder, in collaboration with Holly Stover, is working on obtaining “scent kits” people could request for their family members at high risk. The kits can be rubbed on the skin and kept in containers in the home so search and rescue K9s from Lincoln County Sheriff's Department can more easily track people. Snyder also plans to employ Lincoln County’s drone program when needed.  

“When I applied for this job, I wasn’t sure I wanted it, and after almost two years of being here, it's probably been the best decision I've made," said Snyder. “The operational side, the financial side, the management side, it's a lot, and I need a lot to keep me happy, so it’s fulfilling.”