Maine sergeant helps lift people in crisis
Detective Colleen Adams stood amid the wreckage of the blaze that destroyed her home.
The fire had taken the lives of her three pets. She knew her daughters, safe at their elementary school, would be traumatized by so much loss.
“At that moment, I just didn’t know what to do,” Adams said. “I was in shock.”
Colleagues and community members rallied, donating food, funds and furniture to get Adams and her daughters resettled.
The outpouring was so widespread and immediate that Adams felt puzzled. Why was everybody doing so much, just for her?
“I’m just here to do a good job,” she said. “I’m no better or no worse than anybody else.”
That was five years ago. These days, Adams, now a sergeant, is the head of the Mental Health Unit at the police department in Sanford, Maine. She and her three colleagues on the team – Shannon Bentley, a mental-health first responder; Lacey Bailey, an overdose-prevention clinician; and Officer David Randt – help those who are grappling with substance use disorders and other personal crises. They also help the homeless.
In other words, Adams helps those who live in that moment she experienced in her burnt home, devastated and uncertain about the future. She works hard to assist those who live in that moment for weeks, months, years.
It’s a tough job. You need passion, commitment and heart. Adams enthusiastically praises Bentley, Bailey and Randt, describing them as indispensable to the success of the unit. She shares stories of how they make a difference in the lives of people who are traumatized or suffering.
“We support one another,” Adams said. “Without these guys, I couldn’t do what I do.”
Adams and her colleagues recently achieved one of those positive outcomes when, working with local agencies, they found an apartment for a local couple who lived in a tent in the woods for 10 months.
“Colleen has been a lifesaver,” the husband said.
In recognition of her leadership in helping unhoused people and those struggling with substance use disorders and mental health challenges, Adams has been selected as USA TODAY’s Woman of the Year honoree from Maine.
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: Who helped pave the
way for you? Answer: My family. My mother had me when she was 16. She was unwed, growing up in South Boston. She finished up getting her GED, got a job and married the man I consider my father. They always said, “Whatever you do, you do the best you can at it, whether it’s small tasks or big tasks.” They always supported me when I was growing up. We’re a tight family unit.
I’ve seen the struggles they’ve gone through. They just work harder and harder to get to where they need to be, in order to succeed. And that doesn’t mean success as in money or stuff. It just means succeeding in your own way.
What is your definition of courage?
Doing what’s right, even though it hurts . ... Doing the right thing, even though you know no one’s going to know you did it. Doing things with integrity and purpose. Doing the best you can, even though you might not have all the answers and you might fail. Holding yourself accountable.
What advice would you give your younger self ?
Don’t let adversity hold space in your mind and your body and your soul . ... You’re just going to be you at the end of the day, so be the best version of you that you can be. Don’t worry about the small stuff. Don’t worry about popularity. It will all come into place. Everybody turns into a swan at some point.