The head of Maine's Department of Public Safety says the agency is taking steps to address claims that a dispatch center in Augusta is significantly understaffed.
Commissioner John Morris says that recruiting qualified and skilled applicants who pass state-lead background checks and polygraph tests can be difficult, but the agency is working to address the issue.
"We're recruiting everywhere,” he says. “Job fairs, veteran's fairs, web, Facebook and the career centers for the state of Maine. So we're moving forward."
Morris says they are hiring an additional six part-time dispatchers and also bringing two staffers from Bangor and two staffers from the Holton centers to Augusta. Public Safety will also pull in two light-duty state troopers to help with certain low-level calls.
"The dispatchers are the heartbeat of public safety,” says Morris. “The service they provide is invaluable. They are the key to success in public safety and everyone needs to understand that."
State employee relations met with the union Tuesday and developed a list of seniority for overtime.
The head of the Maine State Employees Association said earlier this week that understaffing at the center caused longer wait times for callers and created additional stress on employees.