Ocean City Police Dept. potentially phasing out seasonal officer program, switching focus to full-time staff

OCEAN CITY, Md.- “It helped mold me and decide that I wanted to be in this career full-time. That experience led me to where I am today,” Gutowski said.

Amy Gutowski is now a detective with the Ocean City Police Department. She’s just one of thousands of law enforcement officials whose careers were jumpstarted by the department’s Seasonal Officer Program. “It makes them very marketable. They come here and get great training and experience. That usually transitions into full time careers either here at OCPD or elsewhere,” Lt. Eade said.

Yet, summer 2024 could be the program’s last. Training and Recruitment Commander Lt. Dennis Eade said that interest in the program has been on the decline, averaging less than 20 officers a season. “There were summers when we were hiring over a 100 seasonal police officers. We would double our full-time manpower,” he said.

He added that The Maryland Police Correctional Training Commission is also reevaluating how they certify police officers. “In that reevaluation of the certification, that’s where we’re going to see the changes for our seasonal officer program. More importantly, the authority under which they work,” Lt. Eade said.

As the resort town is now a year-round tourist destination, the police department is taking heed and shifting their focus to more full-time officer roles. Department personnel told 47ABC that now might be the perfect time to tackle that as the town now heads into budget season. “We’re looking at how much do we spend on the seasonal academy and how much do we pay our seasonal officers. All of that will get converted into what we can spend of full-timers,” Deputy Communications Manager Ashley Miller said.

Like many officers in the program, Gutowski told us that she’s created long lasting relationships, including finding her husband and starting a family. Although it may be the end of an era, she told us that it’s really not the end. “There might be a few growing pains, but it won’t be a systemic or huge change because day-to-day we care ourselves in a very professional manner whether you’re a civilian, seasonal officer, or full-time officer,” Gutowski said.

Lt. Eade said that the department has been preparing for the possibility of phasing out the seasonal program and have been proactive to maintain their level of service. “You’re still going to see plenty of police on the streets and boardwalk of Ocean City. That’s not going to change. Our officers are still going to be out doing what they do best,” he said.

Now it’s important to note that those seasonal officers will still be active for the 2024 season. The department will also still maintain their public safety aid program.

Lieutenant Eade estimates more that 5,000 officers have served in the seasonal program since 1910. Currently, the Ocean City Police Department has four openings.