The law enforcement agency tasked with protecting Maine’s state capitol will soon be taken over by the Maine State Police, state officials announced Thursday.

The Bureau of Capitol Police employs about a dozen officers charged with protecting the safety of state lawmakers and capitol visitors. It is a part of Maine’s Department of Public Safety, which also oversees the state police.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck made the announcement in an email to staff, as first reported by the Bangor Daily News. Sauschuck did not immediately respond Thursday night to a request for an interview.

The change will occur gradually over the next several years. The decision to merge the Capitol Police into the state’s largest police agency was made “to better support the growing demands at the Capitol,” according to a statement from the Department of Public Safety.

“This change will improve resource allocation, operational efficiency and overall coordination as the Maine State Police assume management oversight of the bureau,” department spokesperson Shannon Moss said in an email.

Maine lawmakers have seen a marked uptick in violent threats made against them in recent years. The capitol complex has been locked down for a number of bomb threats in the same time period.

The Capitol Police have been without a chief since August, when former chief Matthew Clancy was placed on leave after being arrested and accused of assaulting an officer while inebriated at a bar in Hallowell. Clancy formally resigned in October and is facing a criminal charge of assault.

State police Lt. Greg Roy will take the Capitol Police’s “primary leadership responsibilities” during the transition, Moss said. Capitol Police Lt. Steve Trahan will serve as second in command.

Capitol Police staff will remain in the State House through the changeover, though it is unclear if they will join the state police force once the transition is complete. The bureau employs about a dozen support staff in addition to its law enforcement officers.

Moss, the Department of Public Safety spokesperson, said “Capitol Police will continue carrying out their mission throughout the transition process” but that the transition will occur “through natural attrition.”