The Ellsworth Police Department is hiring for a Patrol Officer and offers attractive employment packages for experienced police officers through lateral entries. The Department holds agency accreditation through MLEAP and is a proactive, professional department dedicated to the Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Community Service. We pride ourselves on providing high quality community focused police services.
We are also accepting applications for non-police academy graduates who if hired would be attending the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (Step A – 30.96 non-police academy graduates). Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Applications are available online at: https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/apply/
We are the fastest growing city in the state encompassing 94 square miles. We currently have 20 sworn positions with more to be added in the future because of growth and call volume. We handle around eight thousand calls for service annually and the department makes over 3600 traffic contacts a year. In 2023 we moved into a new 8000 sq ft facility in 2023 providing the department with proper space and equipment to complete day-to-day operations. The department’s annual budget is 2 million dollars.
WORK WEEK: Officers assigned to the Patrol Division work a 12-hour shift based on a 14-day rotation. (Two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off Providing every other Friday, Saturday and Sunday off)
LATERAL ENTRY: Wages and Vacation time upon hire date.
For the purposes of calculating lateral entry, only completed years of full-time police service is considered. Lateral Entry is set at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
Steps C (first year) through step J (year 25) range from $32.58/hr with 90 hours vacation to $37.07/hr with 210 hours vacation.
The City also offers shift differential pay of .25 and .50 cents dependent upon shift.
The City offers college and military incentives of .25 cents an hour for each.
The Ellsworth Police Department offers a competitive benefit package in additional to lateral entry opportunities:
RETIREMENT: The City participates in the State of Maine Retirement Program Plan 2C (25 years of service, no age at 50% top three years with COLA).
Alternatively, the employee may elect to participate in the International City Management Associations Retirement program offered, in lieu of Maine State Retirement. The city’s contribution shall be 8.0% and the employee shall contribute no less than 6.5%.
RETIREMENT HEALTH SAVINGS: The city has established a Retirement Health Savings plan. The city contributes 3% of the employee’s gross weekly wages to the ICMA account.
EARNED TIME OFF: Holidays: Employees have 11 “floating” holidays. They holidays can be banked as comp time or the employee can choose to be paid.
· Sick Leave: Sick leave accrues at the rate of one day of paid sick leave for each full calendar month of employment to a maximum of 1000 hours, to be used for personal illness or physical incapacity of such a degree as to render the employee unable to perform the duties of his/her position. If no sick leave is used for 6 months the employee will earn a bonus day off.
· Family Sick Leave: Up to five (5) additional days each year may be taken by an employee when the ill health of a member of the employee’s immediate family requires the employee’s care.
· Compensatory Time Off: Most overtime may be compensated at the request of the employee, by compensatory time off, computed in the same manner as financial compensation would otherwise have been computed.
· Vacation Time: After the completion of one year of continuous full-time employment (90hrs). After completion of 5 years (130hrs). After completion of 10 years (170hrs). After completion of 15 years (190hrs).
HEALTH INSURANCE: A group health insurance program is available to full-time regular employees. The City’s base health insurance plan is the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust Preferred Provider Option (PPO 2500) plan or equivalent policy. Employees who wish to receive health insurance under the base plan will pay a portion of the total health insurance premium cost:
See MCJA requirements