MAINE, USA — As police departments across the state struggle to find officers, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy is still playing catch-up. The academy is about a class behind where it should be because they had to shut down at the start of the pandemic.
"We're kind of in the funnel of training, so [the] agency's difficulty in hiring really hasn't affected our training list," Maine Criminal Justice Academy Director Rick Desjardins said.
As the Maine Criminal Justice Academy gets ready to graduate a new class of cadets, Desjardins said he and his team are already looking ahead to the next class starting in January.
"We're filling every class to capacity," he added.
Local departments are still struggling. Waterville Police Chief Joe Massey said it's been extremely challenging.
Many departments are offering sign-on bonuses. Others are looking for more creative, more basic ways to bring in new officers.
"We have started to advertise by the old fashion way, putting signs out there," Massey said.
For the last week or so, lawn signs have lined the busy street leading up to the city's police department.
"We hope that when people drive by, it's kind of spur of the moment. It says 'stop in. Join our team,'" He added.
The Waterville Police Department hasn't had anyone drop in and fill out an application just yet.
As for Dejardins, he said the academy is no longer accepting students who have not already accepted a job at a local police department because the top priority is to train people who already have a job waiting. That way, the department these students are going to can get them out on the streets.
"It has become, and is currently, an emergency, and we need to do something because many small agencies have closed up," Desjardins said.
As the Maine Criminal Justice Academy continues to train new officers, Maine law enforcement departments are doing everything they can to not only hire but also keep their new officers.