Another small Maine town will be disbanding its police force.
Mexico Police Chief Roy Hodsdon announced in a Wednesday letter that his department will close its doors effective 6 a.m. on Aug. 20.
“Through my 27 years working for the Town of Mexico Police both full and part time, I have truly enjoyed working in our great town. The citizens have always been very supportive of our police department, making our difficult job a bit easier,” Hodsdon wrote.
In making the announcement, Hodsdon cited recruitment challenges, which left him unable to staff all shifts. He said that a shortage of police officers has reached “epidemic levels” since 2020, with a “mass exodus” of officers opting for retirement or leaving the profession altogether.
Meanwhile, there has been an “all-time low” in recruits, leaving departments across the state competing for a dwindling pool of new officers.
Across the country, many small towns have been forced to shutter their police departments amid similar staffing challenges. In Maine, Washburn residents voted earlier this year to eliminate the local police department, while Limestone made a similar move in 2023, Van Buren in 2021 and Millinocket in 2020.
But other towns have remained persistent in their support for their local police. Gouldsboro voters rejected a proposal to close their police department in 2021, the second time in three years they decided against contracting that service to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. Voters in Thomaston also opted to keep their police department in 2019.
In Mexico, the county sheriff will take over policing in the small town.
The closure comes after Mexico saw three police shootings in less than 13 months between October 2021 and October 2022. That’s out of five dating back to 1995, putting the small town on par with larger communities like Augusta and Auburn.
