Page 25 - 2021 Annual Report

Chief Deputy Naldo Gagnon

Dear Citizens,

As in 2020, COVID-19 dominated the year 2021. It
affected morale, and all but halted the hiring movement.
We saw a drastic decrease in our new hires, all while
working. At the low point, we were short sixty-five

(65) Officers in the jail and nine (9) Patrol Officers.
Also complicating the shortage was staff out on military
leave, FMLA and catching COVID themselves. Existing
staff were pushed to the limit with overtime and lack of

staffing.

In October, we started to see a few applications coming
forward. The Corrections Academy lasts five weeks followed by another five weeks of field training.

During this time the goal is for the Officer to become comfortable being in charge of a jail POD. We
have great Field Training Officers that have a lot to offer to prepare the new employee in this difficult
job.

Law Enforcement is arguably the most rapidly changing field in society today. With that, comes a
tremendous responsibility to train new recruits. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office utilizes
an 8-12 week program above and beyond what a new recruit has learned at the 18 week Basic Law
Enforcement Training Program. During Field Training, a new recruit is exposed to a variety of training

topics and instructors; the lessons are drawn from classroom and hands-on lessons as well as actual,
on the job training. The only way to learn some facets of this profession is by exposure. As a recruit
progresses through field training, he or she relies less and less on their instructor and becomes self-
sufficient. While everyday is a day of learning for even the most seasoned police officer, a recruit

only finishes the program and becomes a Deputy when he or she has shown competence in areas of
Criminal and Motor Vehicle Law, Constitutional Law, Agency Policy and Procedure, Firearms and
Weapons Systems, Methods of Restraint and Control, Use of Force and Emergency Vehicle Operations.
Successful completion is marked by a formal ceremony and the pinning of the 7-pointed star on the

chest to signify the transition from recruit to Deputy Sheriff.

Hopefully 2022 will be more forgiving.