Auburn, Maine already has a Okay-9 unit. Officer Andrew Jarman of the Auburn Police Department is the handler of Brick, the division’s latest police canine. Auburn Police Department photograph
BIDDEFORD — Thanks to a $32,000 non-public grant, the Biddeford Police Department is within the strategy of buying a police canine and a Okay-9 handler to hitch the drive. The division has additionally employed two part-time, non-sworn officers and plans to vary the present shift schedule for officers to fight low staffing numbers.
Police Chief JoAnne Fisk intends to have a remaining choice for the canine’s handler this week, after conducting interviews final week. The division should wait awhile for the Okay-9, who is about to reach within the subsequent couple of months, Fisk stated. Once each are in Biddeford, the handler and the canine will reside collectively — “to get acquainted”— earlier than finishing a coaching program collectively. After finishing coaching, the canine shall be thought-about a “dual purpose” police Okay-9, which means it may do drug detection and patrol work.
Fisk stated that her major motivation behind buying the Okay-9 unit is to fight drug crime. According to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the state noticed 229 fentanyl — a synthetic opiate that is fueling the opioid epidemic — arrests in 2022, whereas within the 5 years prior the variety of arrests by no means exceeded 110. Maine additionally handed a grim milestone final 12 months, setting a document for drug-related deaths for the second 12 months in a row, based on figures compiled by Maine Public.
The Biddeford Police Department additionally plans to make adjustments to shift schedules in response to officer suggestions, which they hope will make it simpler to draw new officers. Currently, patrol officers have a 4 days on, two days off, with one rotating day on schedule. Each shift is presently 8 1/2. Moving ahead, officers will work 11 hour shifts throughout their days on, and have three days off every week.
Two part-time workers have additionally joined the drive. These hires are non-sworn officers, which means they haven’t undergone full police coaching and don’t carry a firearm. Fisk famous that these officers would perform a restricted variety of duties, together with answering basic service calls and dealing with minor walk in complaints, equivalent to residents reporting discovered property.
Fisk hopes that these new officers will assist release the patrol division — which is presently comprised of 18 officers and 6 sergeants — to give attention to extra complicated duties.
Across all divisions, the police drive is trying to fill 12 positions.
Fisk emphasised the problem of attracting new folks to the drive. “It’s just not an attractive field for a lot of people,” she stated.
