About Public Safety
Hampden Public Safety provides police, fire, emergency medical services, and code enforcement for the residents of Hampden.
Police Department
The police department consists of 12 full-time officers and currently, two reserve police officers and a part-time animal control officer. The full-time staff consists of the Chief, a Deputy Chief, two sergeants, an investigator, a school resource officer, and five patrol officers. One officer is assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA).
Depending upon the shift, as few as one or up to four police officers are on duty and available for calls. Staffing is increased or decreased based on the day of the week and time of day.
In November of 2023, the Hampden Police Department was officially awarded accreditation through the Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. (MLEAP) Attaining accreditation through MLEAP means the agency meets or exceeds the 162 identified standards of which involve best practices needed to address the most critical law enforcement tasks. The standards cover all aspects of law enforcement operations to include use of force, protection of citizen rights, motor vehicle pursuits, property and evidence management and patrol and investigative operations. The accreditation process included an on-site and off-site review by trained MLEAP assessors of policies, procedures, training, and physical infrastructure.
Fire Department
The fire department consists of 13 full-time firefighters/emergency medical technicians, most licensed at the paramedic level. The full-time staff includes a deputy fire chief, captain, three lieutenants, and eight firefighters. The deputy chief also serves as fire inspector and health officer.
There are typically three firefighters on duty per 24-hour shift. If an emergency medical call is received, the on-duty personnel respond in an ambulance and transport to the hospital, if necessary. If a fire call is received, the on-duty firefighters respond in a fire engine and additional assistance is requested from on-call firefighters and surrounding mutual aid departments. Our present staffing allows us to have three duty firefighters on all four shifts.