Fifty-six new officers graduated this morning from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro. The new officers will go on to serve in the Maine State Police, as well as in departments from Fort Kent to Saco.
John Rodgers, who directs the academy says "a certain type of person" gets into police work.
"The reality is they're not getting in it to make a lot of money, they're not getting into it because they like working nightshifts all the time, or holidays and weekends when other folks have off," Rodgers says. "They're getting into it because there's a calling for it."
And, says Rodgers, recruitment isn't as easy as it was 30 years ago: Fewer high school kids are seeing police work as a viable career.
Students spent 18 weeks studying crime scene procedure, traffic and criminal law, racial bias issues in policing, and handling domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
