By C1 Staff
BALTIMORE, Md. – Recruiters from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services have been visiting military installations in search of candidates who have already been successful in a highly structured organization.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the DPCS is looking to replenish its ranks following last year’s drug-smuggling scandal at the state-run Baltimore jail.
The outreach is not a response to the scandal, according to corrections spokesman Gerard Shields, but the department could use the experience and discipline of former military personnel.
The General Assembly this year approved a $4.1 million budget to hire 100 new corrections officers.
The department has already hired 159 people this summer during Operation Hire, a 100-day drive sponsored by Gov. Martin O’Malley. Now recruiters are looking to fill positions for corrections sergeants, captains and majors.
Candidates must be at least 21 and hold either a high school diploma or GED. The selection process includes a four-hour test that includes a video segment, a written examination and a biographical survey.
Those who pass are offered a job, with salaries starting at $37,507 with benefits, and report for 35 days of paid training.
Few have shown up for the first testing sessions, but officials are planning more testing sessions in October. They don’t have a specific goal for applicants, but they remain confident the numbers coming to take the test will grow.