WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- A bit of cross-border competition is playing out on the peninsula. Billboards advertising the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware have recently appeared in Wicomico County.
The signs, spotted just over the Somerset County line into Wicomico County, promote a police department located roughly two hours away. Local law enforcement leaders say the move reflects a broader struggle to recruit officers nationwide.
"We are all facing the same crisis right now, and that is nobody wants to come into our profession. No one wants to step up to the plate today," said Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis.
That staffing shortage is driving agencies to market themselves far beyond their usual jurisdictions.
"No one likes to have another agency recruiting in your area that you're also trying to recruit in, but we also get it," said Salisbury Police Chief David Meienschein. "So, the issue for us is, it's a challenge to stay as competitive in the marketplace as possible to recruit those same individuals."
Staying competitive often means incentives and rethinking long-standing policies.
"We do offer a hiring incentive, which is ever changing, we're looking at it right now, I think it's a $10,000 signing bonus," Meienschein said.
Lewis said the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office has also adjusted its policies to attract and retain deputies.
"There were many, many years where we did not allow deputies living outside the county, let alone living outside the state to take home a Wicomico County Sheriff's Office patrol car. We allow both of those now," Lewis said.
The New Castle County Police Department’s billboard highlights several incentives, including paid holidays, a signing bonus and a starting salary, all part of what local officials describe as an ongoing battle to recruit and retain officers.
Neither department interviewed for this story has recently lost personnel to the New Castle County Police Department. Still, competition remains intense.
Lewis said Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s signing bonus offer of $50,000 has made recruiting even more difficult. The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office has lost two deputies to ICE within the past few weeks.
