SEARSPORT, Maine — In the course of 12 days, Searsport Police Chief Richard LaHaye will lose all three of his full-time officers.
Why?
“The obvious answer [would be] that there are issues,” the chief said. He quickly adds, “There are no issues. None whatsoever. It’s like a perfect storm.”
All three departing officers are upgrading their careers with other agencies, LaHaye said. The timing is coincidental, he said. It’s also the first time in the three years LaHaye has been chief that an employee has left.
LaHaye said he already has received 16 applications for the open jobs, which he hopes to fill in January.
In the meantime, five reserve officers who work part time for the department will spend their unused hours for the year to fill in for the officers who are leaving. Each reserve officer is allowed to work up to 1,040 hours a year, and LaHaye said there are enough hours left to fill all shifts. The department, which gets about 160 calls for service each month, has a sharing agreement with the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office and with Maine State Police in case Searsport’s department needs assistance.
“With reserve officers we won’t skip a beat. All the shifts will be covered. Everything will be fine,” LaHaye said.
The officers who are leaving will have a chance to say goodbye to the public, and vice versa, during a party being held 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Searsport Public Safety Building on Union Street.
According to LaHaye, eight years after Sgt. Steven Saucier started working with the department, he is moving to the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department, which will cut his daily two-hour commute to Searsport. Saucier specialized in firearms, drug investigations and defensive tactics.
Officer Jessica Danielson, who worked at Searsport for six years, is moving away. She specialized in domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault cases. LaHaye said she likely will continue her career in law enforcement, but did not say where.
“They’re improving their standing for them and their families,” LaHaye said.
Officer Sean Dow also is leaving. He has worked for LaHaye since May 2009 and will leave this month to pursue his childhood dream of working for the Maine Marine Patrol.
“It’s better for my family, and I’ll be closer to where I live, in the Ellsworth area,” Dow said Friday. “[Searsport] is a good department to work for, it’s not why I’m leaving. This is a great department to work for, and the chief is a great chief to work for.”
Having the three experienced officers leave isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to the chief.
“This profession after five or 10 years seems to be a period of time where people can become stagnant,” he said. “Things that motivate most people are opportunity for advancement or money — in this economy there is not much money, so people look for advancement. We are a small agency, and there aren’t a lot of positions.”