Main St. Southwest Harbor Will Illuminate For Chief Brown

Tonight, residents of Southwest Harbor and beyond will place lights on Main Street in honor of a man who dedicated pretty much his entire life to law enforcement in Hancock County.

A week ago today, Southwest Harbor Police Department Chief Alan Brown passed away unexpectedly while working at the family camp on Green Lake in Ellsworth.  The Chief was 51 years-old, and leaves behind his wife and son.

Alan started out with the Hancock County Sheriff's Department back in the '80s, where I remember playing softball with him on the make shift Sheriff's Department team.  Those were some fun days out there on the field with those guys, and I will always remember each of them fondly.

Speaking with others in law enforcement and observing comments on Facebook show what sort of man Chief Brown was.  Justin Vandongen, the Town Manager of Southwest Harbor wrote this morning, "Alan is the exemplar of what Law Enforcement Officers should be. His earnest facade gave way to a caring and insightful mind. He was dedicated to doing things the right way, even if that made more work for him; and he always placed the needs of his officers and our community before his own."

Our hearts remain with his family along with current and former co-workers tonight.

We look forward to seeing photos on Facebook of Main Street in Southwest Harbor tonight and will forever remember this family man who gave so much to both Southwest Harbor and Hancock County over the years.