Frequently Asked Questions

Maine State Police prides itself in having a diverse workforce with a range of backgrounds. Many degrees, such as communications, psychology, engineering, or education, offer impactful and transferrable skills. A college degree or military experience is encouraged. A degree in criminal justice or a related field is not required for employment. 

The Maine State Police accepts applications from candidates who are 21 years of age or older to qualify for a position as a law enforcement officer unless the applicant has an associate’s degree or 60 credit hours of post-secondary education, in which case the applicant must be at least 20 years of age. Schedule a date and time with the Maine State Police Training Unit to take your Alert test, physical fitness test, and oral board interview roughly 6 months before your graduation. Note: There may be an opportunity to earn college credits for attending the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program as a Trooper cadet. Further specifics, verification, and information should be sought through your college and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

The Maine State Police values proactive criminal enforcement. Troop I and Troop G are both responsible for patrolling Maine’s highways and offer opportunities for criminal interdiction.

Questions regarding the transfer of K9 partners will be answered on an individual basis.

Schedules are dictated by the needs of the Field Troop and the area they serve. For instance, Troop G which patrols the Maine Turnpike has a 12-hour schedule and no on-call hours. Troopers generally work 12 hour shifts for their schedule and have every other Friday–Sunday off.

Those who do not need to attend BLETP because of prior full-time law enforcement experience are told their assigned Troop upon successful completion of the Command Staff Interviews. Those who need to attend the BLETP will be notified of their assignment during the 18 weeks of training.

Other than those Troopers already working 12 hour shifts, each member of the Maine State Police is responsible for a 12-hour cor patrol schedule. If a trooper is required to respond to a call for service within their 12-hour core and is called out, that trooper will receive financial compensation for a minimum of three (3) hours of overtime at time and a half of the trooper’s regular pay. Troopers are also compensated 16% of their hourly rate while on call.

The Maine State Police has one (1) Lieutenant and one (1) Sergeant assigned to the Crime Lab. The Crime lab is largely staffed with civilian forensic personnel. The Maine State Police also has a team of Crime Scene Technicians who are nationally certified with the International Association for Identification which is an opportunity for any sworn member of the agency.  They work as an extension of the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory and respond to process most homicides and major crime scenes statewide.

The Maine State Police is responsible for protection services over Maine’s Governor, first family, and visiting dignitaries within the state. The Executive Protection Unit is comprised of Detectives, and any member with one (1) year of service in the Maine State Police can apply when a promotional opportunity becomes available.

Maine State Retirement System requires 25 years of service. Members of the Maine State Police are vested employees after 10 years of service and received longevity pay after 15 years of service. Any member who works more than 25-years will receive two (2) percent for each year of service in addition to their retirement benefits.

Members of the United States Military do have an option to buy their military time back. Cost is determined by MainePERS.

Current law enforcement officers may have an option to purchase their prior years of service through MainePERS. This is done on an individual basis and for more questions the applicant should contact Cpl. Ian Dunn at the Training Unit at 207-830-0665.