“From where I started to where we are now, policing is so much more social work. “People want to arrest the bad guys and solve cases,” McAmbley said. Dave Farrar gets into his cruiser on Franklin Street after stopping to talk to some pedestrians while on patrol Friday afternoon. The breadth and quantity of calls the Bangor department receives has also deterred some officers, McAmbley said, especially those to assist someone experiencing homelessness, which makes up a large portion of the department’s calls. “The public’s perception of what law enforcement is and does in this country hasn’t helped.” “They think it’s what they see on TV, and it really isn’t,” McAmbley said. They just aren’t interested in working their way to those top positions through patrol work. McAmbley said he has found some young people are interested in law enforcement, but have one specialization in mind that they’d like to pursue such as a K9 officer or crime scene reconstruction. In 2001, Bangor had only one female officer, McAmbley said. We’re lucky because we have a lot of smart women.”Įleven of Bangor’s 73 officers are women. “She’s smart and law enforcement needs more smart women. “We have someone in the academy now who was a bank manager in her previous job,” McAmbley said. The Bangor department will welcome anyone interested in law enforcement, whether they just graduated or they’re looking for a career change. The Brewer department has become more proactive in its hiring process by building relationships with local colleges to draw new law enforcement graduates and using social media to attract applicants, Moffitt said. The Bangor Police Department is seen on Friday. Though the Brewer Police Department has only one opening in its 23-officer team, Chief Jason Moffitt said he has found far less competition for open positions in recent years, which makes recruiting officers tougher. The city also gave the department a raise last year, making Bangor “one of if not the best paying agencies in the area,” McAmbley said. This would replace the 35-pound equipment belt, which can strain an officer’s lower back. The department is also providing officers load-bearing vests to hold the equipment they carry with them, including handcuffs, radios and tasers. This allows the officers to get plenty of rest and have time with their families and makes it possible for them to work overtime if they choose. To make the job more attractive, the department implemented a schedule in which officers work three days, then have three days off. “And we’re not the only agency that does that.” “We’ve hired people months in advance of the academy to make sure they’re working for us and we don’t lose them to someone else, because it’s competitive,” McAmbley said. Sometimes, officers Bangor plans to hire get scooped up by other departments that have faster, less extensive training and hiring protocols. The lengthy hiring and training process means the department often waits months for the help they need immediately. Successful applicants complete an 18-week training at the Maine Police Academy, followed by Bangor’s four-month field training program, where new hires work alongside a veteran officer. To get a job as a Bangor police officer, candidates must submit a written application, undergo an interview, clear background and reference checks, pass a polygraph test, complete psychological and medical exams and have a final interview with the police chief. When McAmbley joined Bangor in 2001, the department had only five openings for which they received approximately 150 applications. Dave Farrar patrols the streets of Bangor on Friday afternoon. Fully staffed, Bangor has 86 sworn officers, though the department hasn’t hit that number in decades, Sgt.
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