A team of Maine State Troopers and Cumberland County Sheriff deputies left Maine for New Jersey Sunday morning to assist local law enforcement in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. On Nov. 1, Central Maine Power crews likewise headed to Connecticut to help restore electricity.

According to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland, the law enforcement team assembled in the past two days with assistance from the Maine Emergency Management Agency. They were to arrive in New Jersey this evening, stay at the Fort Dix Army base, 16 miles southeast of Trenton, and begin patrolling Monday, after being sworn in as New Jersey law enforcement officers. An Associated Press story reported today that Maryland State Police sent 25 troopers to New Jersey, as well, to Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Of the 11 Maine troopers, two previously lived in New Jersey and two of the four Cumberland deputies served in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.

New Jersey asked for help, according to McCausland. Vermont is working with Maine, and is also sending troopers. The commander for the Maine delegation is Lt. Wesley Hussey, troop commander for Troop E in Orono. The request were coordinated with a mutual aid compact that all states have through their emergency management agencies, McCausland said.

The Star Ledger, in Trenton, reported that 280 reinforcement troopers are arriving in New Jersey from Louisiana, Florida and Mississipi to help conduct checkpoint security and patrols. New Jersey law enforcement helped out in a similar manner after Hurricanes Katrina and Andrew.

The Star Ledger said: "Troopers deploying to New Jersey include 105 officers from the Pennsylvania State Police, 25 from the Maryland State Police, 50 from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, 24 from the Michigan State Police, 25 from the Florida Highway Patrol, 15 from the Maine State Police, 25 from the Louisiana State Police, and 11 from the Vermont State Police."

Maine State Police Colonel Robert Williams thanked the team Sunday morning for volunteering for the eight day assignment.

"We are proud to have you represent Maine on the streets of New Jersey and to assist the residents of that state in their recovery from this hurricane," he said. "Stay safe."

On Nov. 1, Central Maine Power crews sent 28 two-man line repair crews and bucket trucks, plus additional support personnel and equipment, to Connecticut to help restore service for customers of Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P). The mutual aid effort came after crews completed power restoration to an estimated 165,000 CMP customers, who lost service after winds from Hurricane Sandy blew through the area last week.

"Other companies from around New England and Canada have helped us recover from big storms," said Sara Burns, Central Maine Power president, in a news release on Nov. 1. "We faced more than 165,000 outages ourselves, so we know how tough conditions like that can be on utility workers and their customers. I believe it's important for utility companies to help their neighbors."

The mutual aid from CMP comes one year after a similar effort that followed the Halloween snowstorm of 2011. After completing the restoration of power to its own customers, CMP sent crews to help Public Service Company of New Hampshire. Once that job was done, crews went further south to assist CL&P.

Accompanying the lineworkers to Connecticut are more than a dozen CMP supervisors, safety specialists, mechanics, and logistics specialists.