Major William Ross, Operations Major for the Maine State Police, is a 20-year veteran of the force

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she will nominate Major William “Bill” Ross, a 23-year veteran of law enforcement, to serve as the next Colonel of the Maine State Police. Ross currently serves as Operations Major for the Maine State Police.

“Major Ross is a dedicated law enforcement professional who exemplifies the Maine State Police’s values of integrity, fairness, compassion, and excellence,” said Governor Janet Mills. “His decades of experience, from his years as a patrol officer to his years on command staff, position him well to become the next Colonel and to lead the Maine State Police into the future as they protect and serve the people of Maine.”

“I am humbled to be nominated as the next Colonel of the Maine State Police,” said Major William Ross. “To be given the opportunity to lead the largest police agency in Maine and work with so many great people is a true honor. There are many challenges that lay ahead for our agency and the law enforcement profession, and I look forward to working with our law enforcement partners, legislators, and the communities we serve to keep Maine a safe place to live, work and visit.”

“The Maine State Police have a long and honorable history of serving our great state and Major Ross is the right person to lead the agency into its next 100 years with a special focus on its department motto of Semper Aequus or Always Just,” said Michael Sauschuck, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.

Major Ross, 50, is a 20-year veteran of the Maine State Police (MSP). He joined MSP in 2002 as a Trooper for Troop A, which is responsible for patrolling York County. He was later promoted to Detective and then Sergeant of a Major Crimes Unit spanning York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford, and Franklin counties. He also served in MSP’s Professional Standards Division / Internal Affairs before being promoted to Lieutenant of Troop A in 2015. He has served as Major of the Operations Division since 2020, a position in which he oversees the eight Patrol Troops, the three Major Crimes Units and the Commercial Vehicles Enforcement Units. The Operations Division accounts for approximately 285 of the 334 sworn State Police positions.

In 2010, Major Ross was awarded the Giles Landry Award as a Detective in the Major Crimes Unit South, which is named after Detective Giles Landry was killed in the line of duty while investigating a child abuse case in Leeds in 1989.

Major Ross began his law enforcement career with the New York Police Department in 1998 and then joined the Portland Police Department in 2000. Major Ross is married with two children and lives in Cumberland County.

Major Ross is being nominated to succeed former Colonel John Cote who retired effective on September 30, 2022 following 33-years of service to the Maine State Police. Major Ross’s nomination will be reviewed by the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee at a date to be determined and will require confirmation by the Maine State Senate.

The Maine State Police is an agency within the Department of Public Safety. The Colonel is the highest ranking position within the agency and is charged with leading the Maine State Police.