A Central Maine Sheriff's Office is Operating With Only 50% Staff

Though the US jobs reports indicates the lowest unemployment rate in quite sometime, it doesn't necessarily account for the unfilled positions around the country.

While more people are back at work, the number of unfilled positions still remains high in some places.

According to an article on WGME 13, the staffing crisis has reached a fever pitch for one Central Maine public safety operation.

The news station reports that Maine's Somerset County Sheriff's Office is nearing a 'staffing crisis' as they only operate with about 50% of the overall staff.

WGME caught up with Somerset County Sheriff, Dale Lancaster, who said in part about the critical staffing situation,

"Finding good, qualified, men and women who want to work nights, weekends and holidays, and get spit at, hopefully the pendulum will shift, but right now, it's not a vocation that people are pining to go after. We're really scurrying every day to fill these positions."

To help remedy the staff shortage, Lancaster says that the department is being as proactive as possible by sending current staff to job fairs and even visiting local colleges attempting to acquire possible recruits, according to the news station.

WGME also pointed out that, unlike some surrounding counties, Somerset does not currently offer any kind of sign-on bonus to its new staff members. In addition to the Somerset County Sheriff's Office openings, it's been reported that the Maine State Police have about 50 available positions right now.

If you or someone you know are interested in a possible career with the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, you can click here to see a list of all open positions and to start the application process.