ORONO – The police chief was on the job a week before he got to drive one of the department cruisers.

His second-in-command, Capt. Linwood Greene, was worried about his new boss driving on snow-covered roads. After all, Albert G. Dravidzius, 55, spent the last 27 years working and driving in Los Angeles. He knew traffic, riots and earthquakes, but he hadn’t experienced a New England winter in three decades.

Since he and his wife, Peggy, arrived in mid-January, winter grabbed hold of the couple and shook them pretty hard. While Dravidzius (pronounced dra-vi-jus) was in Portland at the annual state chiefs of police conference earlier this month, his wife went up on the roof to clear off some snow and ice.

She lost her footing, fell off and broke her hip. She is on the mend and expected to be home soon, according to her husband.

Despite the seemingly harsh welcome, Dravidzius, said last week that he is excited about his new job in a small town and university community.

“I believe that small towns are where true community oriented policing takes place,” he said in his new office. “Here’s where I will really get the opportunity to meet the people and get to know them, rather than meeting people in the midst of a controversial issue.

“I think that people are the same here as they are in a big city and they expect the same things from the police force. But, the crime that takes place over six months in a big city, takes place over a period of 10 years or more in a small community like this.”

Dravidzuis was hired in October to fill the position left vacant by the resignation of former Chief Robert Mulhern, who took a position in Groton, Mass. Dravidzius retired from the LAPD to take the Orono job. He helped establish Neighborhood Watch and Crime Awareness Programs and served on the divisional budget committee.

During the past eight years, he supervised a team of between 50 and 80 officers; coordinated training programs and managed internal affairs investigations. He also worked with city government representatives, community leaders and business directors in coordinating joint efforts.

“He was the best fit for what we were looking for,” said Town Manager Gerry Kempen last October when Dravidzius’ hiring was announced. “His real strength is in working with community members and staff. He also has experience in a college community.”

Dravidzius began his law enforcement career in Groton, Conn., in 1969. During the early 1970s, he worked in the Department of Public Safety at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.

The new chief outlined his priorities last week. They include making the department more professional, revisiting the direction the department should be going in community policing and getting out and interacting with the public.

On a more personal level, Dravidzius plans to learn to hunt and fish. He said he won’t be doing that until after he’s hired someone to clear the snow and ice off the roof.