AUGUSTA, Maine — With a strain on law enforcement due to numerous open job positions, the Maine Department of Public Safety and other agencies across the state are getting creative to recruit more candidates.
According to agency Commissioner Michael Sauschuck, there are roughly more than 250 open positions for police officers and even more vacancies for part-time officers and corrections officers.
A handful of departments in Maine have already tried hefty sign-on bonuses and benefits to entice more applicants, but it hasn't been enough to fully address staffing needs.
"Maine, while it's a beautiful place, we're not immune to the staffing issues," Sauschuck said.
To help, public safety leaders unveiled a new recruitment video created by Husson University students, alongside the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.
The two-minute video explains what it's like to not only work as a law enforcement officer in Maine, but why the state is desirable for potential candidates to work in.
"Our mission was to capture the spirit of all professions, whilst showcasing the state and a great place to live," Falmouth Police Chief and Executive Board Member of the Maine Chiefs of Police John Kilbride explained.
The video already had more than 20,000 views on YouTube by Feb. 29 and would be pushed through multiple outlets by the help of the Maine Municipal Association.
With many local police stations competing with each other for candidates, public safety leaders say the goal is to attract more people from outside of Maine to work.
"They start thinking about that vacation they had in Maine ... they start thinking about where they want to start a family," Sauschuck said. "And that's going to be Maine."