Maine State Police Col. John Cote was sworn in Monday as chief of the state’s largest law enforcement organization.
A 29-year veteran of the agency, Cote served as deputy chief for the past two years and is former commanding officer of Troop F in Houlton, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Cote replaces Col. Robert Williams, who retired this year.
Gov. Paul LePage administered the oath of office at the State House in a room filled with Cote’s family members and co-workers. During the ceremony, Cote’s 82-year-old father, Morris Cote, of Houlton, pinned the chief’s badge to his son’s shirt.
Cote spent the majority of his career in Aroostook County, where he grew up, and served several years as a detective sergeant investigating homicides. He began his career as a deputy with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.
Cote, who lives in China, will oversee an authorized complement of 341 sworn personnel, from troopers to colonels, who provide services including criminal investigations, underwater recoveries and crisis negotiations.
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