Around New England

Portland To Hire Non-Citizens, Recent Pot Users As Cops

March 22, 2018

Not being a citizen of the United States and acknowledging marijuana use within the past five years used to be disqualifiers for joining the police force in Portland, Maine.

No more.

The city recently updated its civil service ordinance to soften the requirements for becoming a cop.

“It was an incredibly antiquated document that not only didn’t match what we were doing, but [did not match] our needs,” Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Permanent work status in the United States will now be enough for a candidate as opposed to citizenship.

As for pot, which is still illegal in Maine, city officials say it’s hard to find candidates in their 20s who haven’t smoked marijuana in recent years.

“I want to look at frequency and recency stuff. If you smoke a joint in a parking lot before you come in to take a test, it’s probably not going to go good,” the police chief said, according to the Press Herald.

Police officials in Maine say they’re having trouble attracting applicants. In May 2017, the Portland police chief announced a $10,000 signing bonus for new recruits.