John Hansen, who is challenging Knox County Sheriff Patrick Polky for the Democratic nomination for the position, received seven separate disciplinary actions over a seven-year period while he served with the local agency.
Hansen spoke about the matter Monday, saying he had nothing to hide.
Midcoast Villager requested on April 20 in a Freedom of Access request any disciplinary actions taken against Hansen while he worked for the county. Knox County provided the records on May 1.
Hansen moved to St. George in 1992 and worked for the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for four years and then worked as a commercial lobsterman for 14 years. In 2010, he returned to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for seven years as a patrol deputy and retired in 2017 and returned to lobstering.
He has 24 combined years in law enforcement, including in Indiana and New Hampshire.
According to the records provided by Knox County, Hansen was issued a verbal warning in September 2010 for not completing a report on a domestic violence complaint in a timely manner.
In July 2011, he was issued a written reprimand for violation of the department’s arrest procedure. The paperwork provided to Midcoast Villager states corrective action was taken and documented to the satisfaction of then Deputy Hansen’s supervisor.
In October 2012, Hansen was placed on three months probation and ordered to pass three classes on professional policing practices.
In a letter from then-Sheriff Donna Dennison, she announced the action to Hansen.
“As you know this agency is will supported by the voters in Knox County. My philosophy is to treat everyone, as I would want to be treated. I expect the same from employees,” Dennison stated. “We sometimes have to deal with agitated and not so nice people. We must keep control and be better than they are. I was very happy when you came back to work with us. You bring much experience and expertise. I feel good knowing you are out there protecting the public and working for me. Some old ways of doing things no longer work today. You and I have seen a lot over the years. You have justified and gave reasonable cause on many incidents. A few still are of concern. Young officers look up to you for guidance. Be a role model to them.”
“I know the message you convey is not to insult or anger people. The way you convey your message and the interpretation by the receiver are two very different things. You are really a very kind and caring person under that mask. You must find a way to change this. I know you can. I have seen you do it. You are an important part of this agency,” Dennison stated.
In July 2013, the sheriff issued a finding that Hansen had conducted misconduct based on previous and ongoing complaints. Hansen was warned that further, similar conduct could result in termination. Dennison imposed the probation and four days off, forfeiting vacation days.
In February 2015, Hansen was issued a written warning for failing to file case reports, accident reports and weekly logs in a timely manner.
In October 2015, Hansen was issued a written warning for failing to abide by a no-smoking clause in the lease for the housing provided for him on North Haven.
And in March 2016, Hansen was issued a written warning for failing to properly file an accident report in a suspected operating under the influence case that he covered.
Hansen acknowledged he was sometimes slow in filing police reports but that those delays never resulted in a case being dismissed or affecting the outcome of a trial. He said he was a working cop and had a lot of cases, which led him to be late in filing at times.
He said the suspension resulted from an incident when he stopped a man for operating with a suspended license. He said the man, who had a child in the truck, lived about 100 feet from where he stopped him. He said he let the man drive home, asked for his license and said to get it reinstated before he would return the license. He did not arrest the man even though he could have.
A while later, the man came to Hansen’s home and demanded the return of his license, telling the deputy that his license had been restored. Hansen said he told the person that he would need to confirm before he would return the license but the man became belligerent and was swearing and demanding the license immediately.
Hansen said he eventually lost his cool, swore and told the man to leave his property. He said the man then filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office.
Hansen said he has nothing to hide. He said he was the first deputy in the department to carry an audio recording device and a body camera.
He said he has already responded to the disciplinary issues in a Facebook post when he was informed the Midcoast Villager had obtained his records.
The St. George man said he believes he has more to offer the community and that is why he is running for sheriff.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
