SALISBURY, Md.- The Salisbury Police Department is beginning a new Officer Reserve Program, which allows retired officers to come back to work part time.
Salisbury Police Chief David Meienschein says with staffing shortages, having one more officer can be a tremendous help.
“We are in the process of implementing what we believe to be our first reserve officer program in the history of the police department,” said Meienschein. “It allows us to utilize a part-time certified officer to fill-in for special events, like the marathon, Folk Festival, events like that.”
Meienschein says this helps full time officers who are overworked.
“It takes some of the pressure off of our full-time officers, because we are relatively short staffed right now, waiting to fill vacancies and officers in the academy,” said Meienschein.
The department’s first reserve officer, Officer Barry Tucker says he is eager to help his fellow officers.
"A lot of the officers, they are just overwhelmed with us being short staffed, and then court, and their regular schedule they just don't want to sign up for and then they get forced to work it. With me I don't mind working it," said Tucker.
Tucker, a retired Salisbury Police officer says he missed the job when he retired.
The community interaction is really what I missed more than anything. You talk to people, you get to meet people from different cultures around here of course you get to talk to them and learn about their culture and why they are here. It’s sometimes interesting like, ‘what brings you to the eastern shore?’,” said Tucker.
Chief Meienschein says between the vacant positions, trainees that are still in the police academy along with other officers who are non-operational for a variety of reasons, almost a third of positions are vacant at the department.
However Meienschein says he anticipates those numbers to improve by September 2024 as long as the department does not lose any more officers.