MEXICO, Maine — The town of Mexico announced Tuesday it will be shutting down its police department at 6 a.m. on Aug. 20 due to a staffing shortage.
Mexico's Board of Selectmen voted to place the department on "idle" status, and the Oxford County Sheriff's Office will be taking over patrols.
"This was a hard decision, and it’s not sitting well with me, but at the end of the day it boils down to this is where we’re at," Mexico Chief of Police Roy Hodsdon said.
Hodsdon said the department currently has four employees, but soon he will be the last one left. Two officers notified Hodsdon last week that they were resigning, and another is already in the process of applying for a job elsewhere, according to the chief.
The department has been short-staffed for more than a year, as Hodsdon said he's been trying to fill two vacant positions. With three officers departing, he said the department doesn't have the manpower, and shutting down is the only practical decision.
"I want to protect and serve my community, but if I don't have those means, it's not fair to not offer them the service that they deserve," Hodsdon said. "There's just no one out there younger stepping up who wants to do our profession anymore. It's sad. It's very sad. It's scary knowing that there always was candidates and there's just none available or very little available."
The town hopes it will be a temporary closure until the department can hire new recruits. Hodsdon said six employees meet a full staff, and the department would need a minimum of four officers to reestablish the department.
"It’s different when you’re ready to walk away and you say, 'I’m going somewhere else,' but when it’s something that you’re forced, I guess, it’s hard to swallow. I’m not ready to give up," Hodsdon said.
The town of Mexico plans to hold an informational meeting on Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. to discuss these changes.