OCEAN CITY, Md. - This upcoming Saturday marks the start of the final seasonal police program in Ocean City, bringing an end to a long-standing tradition in the town. The decision to conclude the program after this summer stems from a decline in applicant numbers, according to Ashley Miller, the Deputy Communications Manager for the Ocean City Police Department.
Miller explained, "The reason it's the last is partially through not seeing the applicant numbers that we used to see when it was really competitive. We used to have waitlists of 100 and plus on seasonals that wanted to do our job." This season, the department will welcome only 26 new seasonal officers.
In response to the recruitment challenges, the Ocean City Police Department are looking to increase their full-time force. Plans are underway to add five new full-time positions to the department in July, with an additional five slated for January.
Linda Pinto, who lives in Ocean City, acknowledges the importance of a police presence during the summer, but she questions the necessity of such staffing levels during the winter months. "I think it's needed in the summertime. I think in the wintertime, no, we don't need as much. But yes, the summertime is crazy around here," Pinto remarked.
Miller noted that recruitment for these positions has been slow, prompting the department to consider raising the starting salary to attract more applicants. "Now, a lot of agencies have a lot of vacancies, so everybody's upping that starting salary," Miller stated.
In addition to the department's efforts, the town of Ocean City are looking to include funding for 10 new full-time staff positions in the budget.