New Caribou police chief wants to improve recruitment and community outreach

CARIBOU, Maine — In his nearly 16-year career, Corey Saucier has experienced the ups and downs of being in law enforcement alongside peers and mentors who have shaped his love for community service.

But in recent years, Saucier has seen too many young people with potential leave and not return. That’s why the new Caribou police chief wants to bring more officers into the fold, all while helping the city get a new police station and residents be confident in his department.

Saucier was hired as chief July 15, but first entered the doors of Caribou Police Department in 2008 after having served two years in the U.S. Army and working for lumber mills in Ashland and Masardis. He credits former chief Michael Gahagan, now retired , with taking a chance on a young and inexperienced but eager officer.

“He took a chance on me. I wasn’t right out of college. I had a family and a lot of life experience, and was in my 30s,” said Saucier, now 49. “His door was always open. Even if you felt that you didn’t want to bother him, he took time and listened.”

Throughout Saucier’s first stint with Caribou Police — from 2008 to 2015 — the department saw some officers come and go but mostly remained fully staffed with 16 or 17 full-time officers.

Today, Caribou has six officers and three sergeants, all full time, but could use at least six more officers to return to a fuller staff, Saucier said.

Police work has changed in the last several decades. Officers face more substance use issues within their communities, and often are the first ones to respond to a mental health crisis . National news stories involving police misconduct or other incidents could make young people think that law enforcement isn’t for them.

During his second day as Caribou’s chief, Saucier said he wants to explore ways to help youth see the job’s rewards and bring in more people.

Many of Aroostook’s smaller towns have struggled with recruitment to the point where they have closed, most recently Washburn . Saucier isn’t concerned about Caribou ever losing its police force, but does want to boost morale for the officers currently working with a shoestring crew.

“It all comes down to recruitment and retention. That’s the biggest obstacle [for police departments],” Saucier said. “Morale will go up if officers can work fewer hours and not be away from home all the time.”

Some ideas for recruitment and retention, he said, could involve making sure Caribou’s future new station has modern equipment and workspaces. Saucier also wants to provide more training opportunities for officers, especially around mental health and crisis intervention.

Saucier understands just how stressful law enforcement can get. While working for the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office from 2015 to 2019, he was a patrol deputy, then a detective in his final year. As a detective, Saucier investigated some of the most traumatic cases, including those involving child abuse and sexual assault.

Those experiences were some of the toughest for Saucier but they also shaped his admiration for everyone working in law enforcement.

“Being a detective is a great position. You get a lot of training and meet a lot of different people, but it’s also very taxing. If you’re not careful, you can take some of that stress home with you,” Saucier said. “I envy detectives who have done it for many years.”

When Saucier returned to Caribou, he had decided it was time to advance in his career in a different way. Two months after coming back as an officer, Saucier was promoted to police sergeant. Saucier knew he wanted to apply for the chief position after feeling that he had enough experience to take on what the job requires.

Saucier said his exact salary as chief has yet to be confirmed but that the position was advertised with a $85,000 to $90,000 annual salary range.

Besides recruitment and retention, Saucier also wants to get to know more people in Caribou.

“As soon as I’m settled in [to the new role] I want to get out into the community more,” Saucier said. “When I was a sergeant, I worked nights, so people haven’t really gotten to know me.”

Saucier said he is excited to learn more about efforts to fund, design and eventually build the new station. While the new headquarters will be bigger, Saucier wants to keep the same open-door policy.

“I want to make this a great department that the community can be proud of. It’s their department,” Saucier said.

Saucier and his wife Laura live in Connor Township. They have two grown sons and five granddaughters.