The Mills administration said this week that the officers who patrol the State House complex will soon be managed by the Maine State Police as part of an effort to enhance efficiency and coordination amid growing security demands.
But the change apparently caught Capitol officers by surprise, coming just weeks after their bargaining unit wrapped up negotiations over a new contract.
In an email first reported by the Bangor Daily News, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck informed Capitol Police officers that the unit will gradually be absorbed by the much-larger Maine State Police. According to the paper, Sauschuck wrote that the shift will improve operations at a time when "threats against our legislators and properties continue to grow while the general atmosphere gets more dynamic by the day."
The small force of roughly a dozen Maine Capitol Police officers, detectives and supervisors handle security around the State House complex as well as around other state buildings in Augusta. That includes managing security for state lawmakers as well as the large crowds — sometimes numbering in the thousands — who show up for rallies, protests, public hearings and other events.
But the agency has had leadership challenges in recent years. One chief was placed on administrative leave and retired in 2021 as part of a separation package after a series of controversial social media posts. And earlier this year, Chief Matthew Clancy was arrested and charged with assault following an alleged alcohol-involved altercation with a police officer in nearby Hallowell. Clancy resigned in October.
Public safety spokeswoman Shannon Moss said Friday that the transition will happen over several years through attrition as state troopers replace retiring or departing Capitol police staff. Moss declined further comment beyond issuing a statement, saying the department doesn't "discuss internal decisions."
"The Department of Public Safety is making an internal operational adjustment to better support the growing demands at the Capitol," Moss said in the statement. "This change will improve resource allocation, operational efficiency, and overall coordination as the Maine State Police assume management oversight of the bureau."
Maine State Police already handle 24/7 security for the governor.
But the head of the union that represents Capitol police officers and detectives, the Maine State Law Enforcement Association, said he and others had not heard anything about the plans prior to Wednesday. Kevin Anderson noted that the union's bargaining unit signed a new two-year contract on November 1.
"We would have loved to have engaged with the commissioner had we been told about this," Anderson said.
Capitol police are covered under an entirely different contract — with different terms and pay scales — than state police, so Anderson said those details will have to be worked out. He said officers were told during a meeting with Sauschuck that they could apply to become state troopers but how that would work is still unclear.
"There's uncertainty — they don't know what the future holds," he said. "They are assured that their jobs aren't endangered but when they leave (the positions) will be reclassified as troopers. One question I know that was asked: so essentially there is going to be no promotional opportunities for these folks either. They don't have anything to look forward to. Normally you would climb the chain. You would come in as a patrolman and look to become a sergeant or a lieutenant."
Anderson says the union is asking for meetings with state officials to discuss the changes as part of the collective bargaining agreement.
Capitol police officers work closely with state lawmakers, both when they are in session and throughout the year when security concerns arise.
House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, expressed support for the shift.
“As we’ve seen threats directed at lawmakers and public servants in Maine and across the country increase, the need for more resources and statewide coverage has grown," Fecteau said in a statement. "This transition to the State Police will enable officers to access the resources they need to protect lawmakers, public servants, and the public.”
Moss said that Maine State Police Special Services Lt. Greg Roy will lead Maine Capitol Police during the initial transition and that the current acting head of the Capitol force, Lt. Steve Trahan, will serve as second-in-command.
