Portland P.D. hires recruitment officer to combat staffing shortages
In a move that’s intended to boost its ongoing recruitment efforts, the Portland Police Department has assigned Officer Kate Phelan to be its new recruitment officer.
According to a March 21 notice posted by the department on its website, the position is a temporary but full-time position for the duration of the department’s current hiring process.
The department’s open application period for the August 2018 Maine Criminal Justice Academy class is now open. The department is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in Maine, with 166 sworn officers and 59 civilian employees.
Phelan’s sole focus will be on proactive recruitment efforts, including candidate meetings, presentations at schools and universities, social media efforts and a variety of other recruitment activities.
“Staffing is a burden that weighs heavy on all of us, but I feel it’s important to make this adjustment in the short-term so that we can reap the long term benefits of a full, 12-officer, academy class in August,” Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said in the post. “The reality today is that the folks we find are our best candidates have skills that are in high demand and this allows them to choose from many opportunities. We hire less than 4% of our current police officer candidates because we have high standards for those who serve our community and our focus will always be on quality over quantity.”
Incentives offered to lure police recruits
Sauschuck has also increased the recruitment incentive for employees who help find successful candidates for police officers and telecommunicators. The bonus will increase from $2,000 to $3,000 to be given in three equal increments. Telecommunicator referrals will be paid out as $1,000 at hire, $1,000 at six months, and $1,000 after one year of service. Police officer referrals will be paid out as $1,000 at swearing in, $1,000 at the completion of field training, and $1,000 at the end of probation.
In May 2017 the department announced it was offering $10,000 sign-on bonuses in an effort to help recruit new officers and telecommunicators in the Portland Regional Community Dispatch Center. The sign-on bonuses remain in effect.
In its post, Portland P.D. reported that incentive initiative appears to be effective: Nine police officers and six dispatchers have qualified and are in the process of receiving bonuses.
The department also regularly participates in job fairs across the region and is an approved on-the-job training site for GI Bill benefits for the first two years.
In 2017, new officers averaged an annual salary of $54,000 plus benefits, and the city recently agreed to union contracts that will give all sworn officers a 10% raise over the next three years. Additionally, the Civil Service Ordinance, which governs the hiring and promotional process, was recently updated and approved by the City Council.
Two notable changes include the citizenship requirement, which now allows candidates who have been granted a permanent right to work in the United States, and recent marijuana use is no longer an automatic disqualifier. Instead, it will be considered on a case-by-case basis in context with the candidate’s entire background.
Statewide shortages
Maine Public reported that law enforcement advocacy groups estimate there are currently more than 100 vacant officer positions throughout Maine, and that the pool of new applicants is small. The problem is even worse in small, rural departments where a job posting may only receive a single response.
In addition to Portland, other local departments are doing what they can to recruit and retain qualified officers. For example, in Washington County, Chief Deputy Mike Crabtree said the sheriff's department is matching vacation or sick time that new hires had accrued at their former position. The department is also reaching out to high school students who may have an interest in law enforcement.
"Years ago, you used to get 100 people or so for a position. Today you're lucky if you get 10 or 12," Maine Chiefs of Police Association Executive Director Robert Schwartz told Maine Public.
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