MECHANIC FALLS, ME—The Mechanic Falls Police Department is down to one person, Chief Jeffery Goss, after officer Shaun Gagnon finished his last shift Monday.
"Two have left the state, two have left for other departments and one just left all together," Goss said Tuesday. "All of this has basically transpired since June. As of today, it's just me."
"In the short term, I am working shifts and trying to do what I can," he said. " The Androscoggin (County) Sheriff's Department has generously offered to, during the downtime when I am not on, to cover calls and basically I am looking at a 60-day window to try and recruit and after that I will revisit it. They can help temporarily, but it's not sustainable."
The town is in the process of hiring a patrol sergeant, as well as three patrol officers, but getting the department back up to full strength will take time.
"Right now, I need to have at least somebody that is already certified," Goss said. "As just the chief, I can't hire and train four or five guys by myself. That's an impossible feat in that time to train somebody.
"The council has been supportive and has given me some stuff to work with and try and entice some candidates," he said, "but today I am not getting a lot of interest. It hasn't been out that long, though."
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