Background, ENDORSEMENTS & PARTNERS

Darrell O. Crandall, Jr. founded Edgewater Reliance in 2021, after serving more than 35 years in Maine law enforcement. Darrell's vision was to develop products and provide an array of investigative services to local, county and state agencies that were not commonly available to them. Understanding that in many places public sector staffing was at critical levels, Darrell developed a comprehensive pre-employment background investigation program that more than two dozen local, county and state agencies signed up for within the first year.  Edgewater Reliance also conducts independent, administrative personnel investigations, the quality of which has been lauded by chiefs, sheriffs, city managers and attorneys for those agencies as well. While this represents one important division within the agency, Edgewater Reliance has also focused on successfully tracking down people who are missing or are purposely hiding out to dodge their legal responsibilities. In addition, a number of law firms have come to rely on Edgewater Reliance to locate, interview and evaluate potential witnesses in pending or potential civil matters. Maximizing the use of modern technology and relying, as needed, on a cadre' of trusted sub-contractors, Edgewater Reliance's services are available throughout Florida and Maine. 

Background

In 1985 Darrell joined the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, serving as a corrections officer, a rural patrol officer and a police dog handler before accepting a “short term assignment” with the state drug task force. Darrell’s assignment continued for the next twenty-three years; four as an investigative agent, eleven as a regional supervisor and eight as division commander, and for fifteen of these years he also led the state’s drug lab response team. In his first nineteen years of public safety leadership, Darrell directed criminal investigations into the manufacture, smuggling and distribution of illegal drugs by regional, interstate, and transnational drug trafficking organizations. Darrell prepared many hundreds of cases for prosecution in state and federal courts, a larger number of affidavits in support of search warrants, conducted hundreds of suspect interviews, developed copious human intelligence sources, and carried out countless hours of various types of surveillance. Darrell thoroughly evaluated and processed many crime scenes, to include analyzing paper and digital evidence to build successful criminal prosecutions. Darrell developed the curriculum for Maine's basic drug enforcement training program, and as part of that process created an interactive presentation on ethical decision making that he has presented to many groups of law enforcement and corrections personnel throughout the state. Darrell received several awards from the U.S. Department of Justice for his investigative leadership and was called as an expert witness for the government in federal drug trials.

In 2013, Darrell was named Chief Deputy Sheriff, and a little over a year later was elected Sheriff of Aroostook County. Proactively managing two budgets totaling more than five million dollars, Darrell allowed the county to finish a jail budget year “in the black” for the first time in nearly a decade and took the jail from a failed state inspection to a 100% compliance rating the next year. In the same time frame, he and his leadership team restructured the agency to increase the rural patrol force by forty percent without causing an overall budget increase. Hiring good people, demanding strong performance and regularly inspecting agency programs Darrell more than doubled the clearance rate of serious reported crimes in his first full year, which was also twice the state and national average at the time. Actively leading more than seventy employees belonging to two different labor unions, not one of several disciplinary actions and dismissals was overturned. 

Retiring from county government in 2018, after more than 32 years, Darrell accepted a truly short-term command position with state drug enforcement, being lauded in the Director’s press release as, “one of the most experienced drug investigators in the state.”  In 2021…after 36 safe, successful, and unsullied years, Darrell decided it was time to hang up the badge and enter the private sector. 

During his diverse career Darrell was tasked with leading several investigations into allegations of misconduct by police officers, to include some lengthy, complex inquiries into command and executive level officers; some of whom rightfully no longer serve in the profession. In his “spare time,” Darrell successfully obtained a top-secret government security clearance, allowing him to carry out administrative personnel investigations of federal law enforcement and Department of Defense employees. 

The Maine Sheriffs’ Association named Darrell “Manager of the Year” in 2013, the same year he served on Attorney General William Schneider’s prescription drug abuse task force. A staunch critic of the courts using county jails as de facto psychiatric hospitals, Darrell was invited to testify against criminalizing mental health before the Maine Advisory Council to the United States Commission on Civil Rights in 2017. In 2018 he was awarded a “Lifetime Partnership Award” by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and that same year Darrell was one of only two law enforcement leaders tapped by then Attorney General (Gov.) Janet Mills to an ad hoc committee charged with reviewing the circumstances that led to the use of deadly force by police officers in Maine. Darrell serves on the executive board of the Hope & Justice Project, was a past executive board member of the International Law Enforcement Association, a past member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Sheriffs' Association, National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies, National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers’ Association, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, the Maine Sheriffs’ Association, and in 2020 was tapped by the United States Attorney for the District of Maine to be a member of Project Guardian, a nationwide initiative focused on proactively reducing gun violence.  

Darrell is widely known for his ability to communicate clearly and directly, and to get things done even when others cannot… and always within the boundaries of the law and ethical standards. You can count on Darrell to be candid, work hard and deliver results you can trust. 

“Edgewater Reliance has conducted our pre-employment background investigations for over a year. Their work is completed in a timely manner, the investigations and reports are thorough, accurate and represent a high level of integrity. Adding Edgewater to our pre-employment screening process represents a cost-effective service enhancement for our agency, compared to the dated in-house process we used in the past.” 

Chief Jim Willis – Mt. Desert and Bar Harbor Police Departments

  "I am beyond grateful that you took my suspicions seriously and agreed to investigate. I don't even think we'd be alive if you hadn't. It was obvious he was becoming more and more unhinged.

One year later I am less fearful."   

Protected Client

"I have known Darrell Crandall for my entire 28-year law career and wholeheartedly recommend him as an investigator. When Darrell was an investigator and Commander with MDEA I represented individuals either as defendants or witnesses and I always knew Darrell to be tough, thorough and also fair.  As a deputy and later as Sheriff, Darrell advocated strongly for important law enforcement reform and resources and would discuss these matters with me as a legislator in the Maine House of Representatives.  His skills as an investigator, administrator and zealous advocate are second to none."

Richard C. Cleary, Esq., Ellsworth, ME

“First as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and then as U.S. Attorney I worked closely with Darrell Crandall for several years.  Darrell was a very hardworking and effective drug agent for MDEA.  You could count on Darrell to jump on any assignment quickly and to proceed skillfully and with integrity.  Darrell would deliver the evidence when it was there but more importantly, he would tell you when the evidence wasn’t there." 

Jay P. McCloskey - McCloskey, Mina, Cunniff & Frawley, LLC

“I have known Darrell Crandall for over a decade and successfully collaborated with him on critical law enforcement and corrections issues. He is a consummate professional; ethical, open minded, thorough, fair and transparent. His work is beyond reproach, and I highly recommend him as an investigator.” 

Cynthia Brann, Commissioner, New York City Department of Correction (Retired)

  “Edgewater Reliance produces top tier investigations and superior reports at very reasonable rates, allowing for faster hiring decisions, with more confidence, in this highly competitive market. 

Darrell Crandall provides the credibility of Edgewater. His years of experience as a law enforcement leader in Maine allow him to focus on the critical areas of relevance for hiring.”  

Chief Deputy Matt Curtis, Waldo County

“In 2023, the Town of Madawaska engaged the services of Edgewater Reliance to conduct an administrative investigation for a matter we felt would be best handled by an outside agency. We were impressed not only by their thoroughness, use of technology to communicate and report, but by how expeditious they were to engage, initiate, investigate, and report their findings.” 

Gary Picard, Town of Madawaska

“These are lean times: staffing, budgets, and time. Selecting quality candidates is more important than ever. Thankful to have Edgewater Reliance on our side!” 

Chief Ken Charles, Farmington

“If you want to be sure serious inquiries are done right, contract your personnel investigations to Edgewater Reliance. The little you spend up front is nothing compared to what you could save later. The difference we have seen is remarkable.”  

Sheriff Shawn Gillen, Aroostook County

“The Brewer Police Department began contracting pre-employment background investigations to Edgewater Reliance and our experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Background reports are completed in a thorough and timely manner, while leaving our sworn officers to focus on more pressing matters. We will continue to contract with Edgewater.”  

Chief Jason Moffitt, Brewer 

“We depend on Edgewater Reliance to conduct our pre-employment background investigations, which we have found to be consistently accurate, thorough, and completed in a timely manner. With their many decades of investigative experience I highly recommend Edgewater Reliance for all your investigative needs.”  

Chief Deputy Michael Crabtree, Washington County 

Edgewater Reliance works closely with these agencies and organizations to augment the services we provide. If they are listed here, we recommend their services and endorse their work.  

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Ferland, Ranhoff & Polygraph Examiner Associates - Maine

With decades of public and private sector experience, and thousands of tests performed, Ferland, Ranhoff & Polygraph Examiner Associates provide polygraph testing throughout New England and beyond.  Specific event testing, pre-employment testing, post-conviction sex offender testing and more. Warren and Mike have the knowledge and experience to meet all of your polygraph testing needs. 

www.ferlandranhoffpolygraph.com

Warren Ferland - 207-931-8990

Michael Ranhoff - 207-491-5300

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