PORTLAND, Maine — The Limestone Police Department announced Wednesday that it would be closing, citing staffing shortages and a lack of qualified applicants.
"Shutting the doors of the department was not the outcome that I was looking for or intended when I offered to take the position," interim police Chief Jesse Cormier wrote in a post on Facebook.
With the dissolution of the department, law enforcement duties will be covered by the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office and Maine State Police, according to the post.
Cormier thanked the town and locals for their support during the department's attempt to "rebuild and continue" but expressed that it was the right decision to have made for the safety of the community.
"Unfortunately, due to the lack of qualified applicants, staffing, and the nationwide shortage of police officers, abolishing the department is the right thing to do at this time for the safety of the citizens of the community," he said.
Cormier has worked in Limestone since 2007 and assumed the duties of police chief in September, according to the release.
Limestone is a town in Aroostook County with a population just over 1,500 citizens adjacent to the border with Canada, according to the town's website.
The Select People approved the measure to abolish the police department during a special town meeting Wednesday, April 14. The motion read as follows, according to a copy on the town's website:
The department cannot operate without a chief, inability to fill officer positions are the main reasons. Both County Sheriff and State Police do not see any other option. If our police department is abolished, we will be provided coverage by Sheriff and State Police at no cost to the town.
"Please know that the citizens of Limestone are in good hands with the members of the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office and the Maine State Police," Cormier said in closing. "These deputies and troopers are top notch and will serve the citizens of Limestone as well as they do for the rest of our County."
No timeline was listed on the website or post regarding when the closure would take effect.