HOULTON, Maine – The Houlton Police Department is closer to a full staffing complement with the recent hiring of two more police officers.
Seraphima Smalley and Morgan Grant were sworn in during the Houlton Town Council meeting on Monday night.
Smalley, a Maine native, has lived several years in the Houlton region. She worked in the family business and most recently as a manager for SW Collins as a contractor sales associate.
Grant holds a bachelor’s degree in conservation and an associates in criminal justice. She worked part-time for Houlton Ambulance for four years while attending college.
“There are very, very few and a small percentage of American citizens that have the opportunity and responsibility to be law enforcement officers,” Chief Tim DeLuca said. “It is an enormous responsibility to care for our citizens in the good and the bad and represent us in the most extreme professional manner we can.”
The council approved $105,000 from the undesignated fund balance for the positions.
Funding for the positions was cut from the 2024 budget with the agreement from council that the fund would be replaced if the new hires were found, said Chris Robinson, council chairman.
“We made a verbal promise to the chief, ‘you find the people, we will find the money,’” Robinson said.
For the 2024 budget, DeLuca explained that his $1.5 million 2024 proposed budget included the full complement of 14 police officers but the council decided to wait on funding the positions until officers were found.
The department is now staffed with 12 officers.
