After 26 years in the Pembroke Police Department, Chief Scott Lane is leaving the post to become a teacher at Concord High School.
Lane, 51, said he is hopeful his experience training officers will transition to the classroom where he will be working with students in the Concord Regional Technical Center's criminal justice program.
"I think I bring a perspective of having been there and done that," he said. "And (teachers) certainly have the ability to bring them the technical knowledge, but when you can put an experience with it to say, 'This is how it works in the real world,' I think that benefits everyone."
Lane's first day at the high school will be Tuesday but he plans to continue working at the police department until Dec. 31, helping the department transition in the interim. The teaching position is part time, and Lane said he's excited to spend the extra time with his family after so many years of late nights and long shifts.
"It's been a great career, a fantastic career. . . . But law enforcement, there's a reason why it's a 20-year retirement system. There's a lot of long nights away from family. A constant diet of not always the better side of people can wear on you after a while," Lane said.
Lane has spent all but a few months of his career in Pembroke, moving up in the ranks from a patrol officer to a sergeant to a lieutenant. Five years ago he became the department's chief. That long history, Lane said, makes his exit bittersweet.
"It'll be difficult to walk out that last day. It certainly will," Lane said. "But I'm really looking forward to the challenges up at the high school."
Steve Rothenberg, who heads the school's technical program, said Lane was chosen from an extremely large and qualified candidate pool in a selection process that included interviews with students, administrators and teachers. He said all three of the groups found Lane to be the best candidate.
In the criminal justice program Lane will be teaching introductory classes to juniors and seniors from nine regional schools. While it will be a big change from life as an officer, Lane said he is eager to promote and better the profession from another avenue.
"I've had a passion for law enforcement my entire career," Lane said. "I see this job as a way of still introducing the career and bringing new people into it and good people into it."
Pembroke's town administrator David Jodoin said the town selectmen will lay out a timeline for finding Lane's replacement at their Nov. 7 meeting.
"He's been a great guy to work with," Jodoin said. "It's rare you get an officer like that, that comes in as a new employee and sticks with the town and sticks around to move up the ranks and become chief."
(Tricia L. Nadolny can be reached at 369-3306 or[email protected])
