Blue star for returning Augusta police officer

Augusta Police Officer Eric Dos Santos holds the service star that Deputy Chief Jared Mills, left, gave him after removing it from the department's sign Monday at the station in Augusta. Dos Santos, who has been with the department since 2006, is a captain with the Maine National Guard and the commander of the 488th Military Police Company, which began a year-long deployment to Afghanistan in June 2012. Augusta police hung the blue star in December as a public notice that one of its officers was serving in combat. Monday was Dos Santos’ first day back at work. Augusta Police Deputy Chief Jared Mills said Dos Santos will go through a three-month re-acclimation process, beginning with work in an administrative role. “We are so happy to have officer Dos Santos back home with our department,” Mills said. “We could not be more proud of his service to our country during his deployment, and we have always been in full support of the work he does with the Guard.”