SMCC provided Spencer Simoneau both the classroom learning and real-world training he needed to launch his career as a police officer.
Simoneau arrived at SMCC in 2013 directly out of high school and enrolled in the Criminal Justice program. He was also in the Public Safety live-in program, where he worked and lived at a fire station in Standish while attending classes at SMCC.
He enrolled in the live-in program because he wanted experience dealing with emergencies and interacting with people in the field. At the time, he thought he might want to become a fire marshal and investigate arson fires.
While he ultimately decided that policing was his calling, the combination of classroom knowledge, real-life know-how through the live-in program, and guidance from his professors set him on the path to what he loves doing.
His first law enforcement job after SMCC was with the Fairfax County Police Department in northern Virginia. After two years, he returned to his hometown in Maine when he was hired by the Lewiston Police Department in 2018. There, he is a patrol officer, a field training officer and a forensic phlebotomist.
Years away from SMCC, Simoneau still maintains a close relationship with Criminal Justice Professor Kevin MacDonald.
“He’s become a mentor. To this day, I can call him and talk through any problems. Sometimes I come and talk to classes about what it’s like being a cop and other things in law enforcement.”