WCBC

July 2nd, 2018 by WCBC Radio

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will seek to hire a private recruiting firm to expand its aggressive hiring effort to fill vacant correctional officer positions and address a national shortfall of qualified public safety candidates.

The department will solicit proposals and spend up to $50,000 to bring a private recruiter on board within a month to assist the agency with its already robust hiring initiatives.

“From my first day in office three years ago, I made hiring qualified correctional officers a top priority,” Secretary Stephen T. Moyer said. “We will not take our foot of the gas pedal and compromise the safety of the dedicated and talented men and women who do one of the hardest jobs in law enforcement.”

Moyer started “Operation Hire” in 2015 holding recruiting events in every region of the state with correctional facilities. Since then, the department has held 326 hiring events and is planning an additional 25 testing events soon on the Eastern Shore.

Governor Larry Hogan has approved hiring incentives to go in place this year that include $5,000 for new recruits, a $3,000 bonus to retain current employees and $500 for any employee who recommends a successful correctional officer candidate.

States across the nation are facing dire correctional officer shortages.

The Maryland prison population has dropped by 5,500 inmates and detainees since 2008 or 21 percent.