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Police chief says department is down roughly 19% of sworn staff; requests $450,000 carryforward for retention
Summary
Bangor police reported a staffing shortfall — described as 12–16 positions down at various times, amounting to roughly 19% of sworn staff — and requested a $450,000 carryforward to support retention and recruitment. Council discussed downtown coverage trade-offs between ambassadors and sworn officers.
The Bangor Police Department told the council it is operating with a significant staffing shortfall and requested a $450,000 carryforward to support retention efforts.
In describing the staffing picture, the police representative (S10) said the department is "down 12 positions" on payroll and after accounting for deployments and leaves is effectively down closer to 16 people, which the speaker characterized as "nearly 19% of our entire sworn staff." The department requested a $450,000 carryforward for retention strategies and said it did not expect to use the entire amount but wanted flexibility to deploy recruitment and retention measures.
Council members discussed whether downtown public-safety coverage was better provided by additional ambassadors or by sworn officers; police staff said two downtown officers would provide daytime and early-evening coverage while three would extend to late-night hours. The police representative cautioned the council that even if positions are approved they may not be fillable immediately and asked the council to consider timing when voting on staffing lines.
Council did not take a final vote on the carryforward during the workshop but acknowledged the urgency and asked for more detail on how the funds would be spent and how quickly positions could be filled.
