Larry started school at St. Peter’s School in Lewiston and at the age of 10, he and his family moved to Southern California where they resided for fourteen years. While there Larry attended Holy Angels School in Arcadia, California and Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California. He then was drafted into the United States Army in 1965 and served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. Upon his return from Vietnam, Larry went to work for Continental Airlines in Los Angeles and attended evening classes in Police Science at East Los Angeles College. By then his entire family had returned to Lewiston. They all sought a quality of life for their families in their home town. Larry was the last to join his family back in Maine.
Shortly upon his arrival, on St. Patrick’s Day 1969, Larry was hired as a patrol officer for the Lewiston Police Department. This led to a 25 year career with the department. He worked his way up through the ranks to Chief of Police. He held that position for five years. He retired in 1994 to accept an appointment by President Bill Clinton, upon the recommendation of Senator George J. Mitchell, as the United States Marshal for the District of Maine. He served 8 years in that position. In 2002, he served in a temporary short period as a Staff Assistant to Senator Susan M. Collins. The same year, he was appointed as the Associate Director of the Maine Community Policing Institute at The University of Maine at Augusta.
Larry received a Bachelor of Science Degree with Distinction in the Administration of Justice and an Associate of Science Degree with Distinction in Criminal Justice, both from The University of Maine at Augusta. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia, the New England Law Enforcement Management Institute at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He has also attended numerous seminars and conferences in the Criminal Justice Field.
As an innovator in the field of law enforcement, Gilbert brought Community Oriented Policing to Maine and was a leader in several innovative initiatives such as being the first department in Maine to institute bicycle patrol. In Lewiston schools, he initiated the first and only Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program in the State of Maine. He also brought the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program to Lewiston schools. He initiated the process for accreditation of the police department with the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (C.A.L.E.A.) which today remains the only accredited law enforcement agency in Maine. Larry also created the Lewiston-Auburn Anti-Drug Coalition and the Lewiston Hate-Bias Crimes Task Force. As the U.S. Marshal, he was instrumental in creating the Central Maine Violent Crime Task Force. He also served as the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Training while serving on the Director’s U.S. Marshals Advisory Committee. His experience in management is lengthy and varied.
He has received appointments by Governors McKernan, King and Baldacci to a number of state commissions such as the Maine Criminal Justice Commission, Maine Criminal Justice Information System, and the Maine Commission for Community Service.,
Larry is and has been very involved in the community. He served on the Lewiston Downtown Advisory Board and the Mayors Lewiston/Auburn Joint Services Commission. He also served on the Sisters of Charity Health System Board of Directors. He is the President of the Board of Directors of the Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary’s. He is a member of the Public Policy Committee for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. He has also served as a member of the Holy Cross Parish Council and Holy Cross School Board. He has been a Eucharistic Minister. He served on Lewy’s Legion Committee of the Lewiston MAINEiacs, who are part of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. As a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 106 he has chaired, for 15years, the Basketball Free-Throw Championship for boys and girls ages 10-14, and has co-chaired road races for the Knights of Columbus. He also officiates at Bates College Track Meets.
To keep healthy, Larry jogs and lifts weights on a regular basis. He is an avid hockey fan and is a season ticket holder for the Lewiston MAINEiacs with his wife Pat.
Larry is very proud of his Franco-American Heritage. Larry is a people person who interacts with individuals from all walks of life regardless of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, economic standing, physical or mental illness. He has made it a career of serving all peoples and keeping them safe. This has been and continues to be his vocation.
