Boothbay Harbor Police Department, like other organizations and businesses, needs to find a few good men or women to work.

Over the past few weeks, the department has received two resignations from Officer Jennifer Gosselin and longtime officer and sergeant Patrick Higgins. We have not been told why these two officers have resigned but it leaves new Chief Doug Snyder and the board of selectmen with some work to do to try and find their replacements.

Yes, there need to be replacements, as a couple of residents have expressed their concerns to us about a depleted police force, especially with the tourist season fast approaching.

No, BHPD is not the only law enforcement agency looking for officers. Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett has been trying to fill his roster over the past few years, with retirements and resignations taking away deputies. And we read this week that Boston Police Department has lost 400 officers over the past four years due to retirement.

Recruiting posters and messages have appeared on BHPD’s Facebook site, including this message posted on March 3: “Our agency is attending the New England Law Enforcement Hiring Expo on Thursday, March 16th, 2023, from 11am-2pm. Our starting salary is $50,460 for new recruits and up to $60,455 for laterals, with up to $16,000 sign-on bonus! Come by our booth and speak to one of our recruiters! If you are interested, please register for this event with the below link.”

We will be talking with Chief Snyder soon to get an update on whether there has been any movement on recruiting.

Good luck, BHPD and the board of selectmen. Your community depends on you for keeping us safe.