Anonymous said...
Publius: Article Submission:
Towns Merge Police Departments
Why not Atkinson & Plaistow?
Manchester Union Leader
TOWNS TEAM UP FOR POLICE PROTECTION
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Monday, May. 26, 2008
The small, southern New Hampshire towns of Greenville and Temple broke barriers when they forged a new jointly run police department three years ago.
The concept has been such a hit in terms of efficiency, savings, and retaining high-quality officers that the towns recently renewed their agreement for five years and caught the eye of other communities exploring regional police services, local officials said.
"For us, it's been fantastic," Temple-Greenville Police Chief James H. McTague said.
"I'm not saying a merger is for everyone. But based on our experience, it was the best thing that either town could have done," he added.
Still, McTague admits convincing the two towns to give up their separate police departments and create a joint new one was a hard sell.
Merging police forces -- or fire departments and road agents for that matter -- strikes at the heart of New Hampshire's precious local control credo. But Yankee thrift can be equally compelling and seems to be driving the latest cluster of communities considering a shared force.
"With costs and everything today, you've got to say, 'Okay, how do we get the most bang for the buck?' We've got to look at every option," Antrim Town Administrator Bill Prokop said.
Antrim recently joined with Deering, Bennington and Hancock -- all communities of less than 2,700 tucked in the northwestern corner of Hillsborough County -- to explore a regional police force. The recent departure of Antrim's police chief provided the opportunity to revisit the issue.
"We're always trying to cut or maintain costs and improve services," especially in an era of rising fuel, health insurance and retirement costs, Antrim Selectmen Chairman Michael D. Genest said.
McTague predicts other communities will give regionalization a serious look given the savings it offers.
Greenville shaved $115,000 from its police budget and Temple $46,000 during the first year their towns merged forces, he said.
A joint force also solved problems that towns struggled with individually. Temple no longer had to build a police station to replace its one-room quarters and got better coverage, while Greenville got a good quality force, McTague explained. And he said better pay staunched the flow of officers leaving to work at other forces just after the towns invested considerable money in training and equipping them.
"I think you are going to find more and more towns say, when their chief retires or move on, that this is something we should consider, especially with the economy and officers (leaving)," McTague said.
"I think more communities are looking at it than they have in the past," agreed Earl M. Sweeney, the state's assistant commissioner of safety.
More towns have seen their populations rise from 300 to 400 people to 1,200 to 1,400 -- large enough to have more crime and collisions, but not big enough to field their own full-time police departments, he said.
"We've got some of these communities at the awkward stage that they are not quite large enough to have a police department, but they have enough business that the citizens want a little more protection. Some of these small communities might be able to band together and create a regional police department," Sweeney added.
And state police, which generally would cover these towns, "are stretched," Sweeney said. There aren't enough troopers to provide 24-hour coverage statewide and response times can be long, he added.
Yankee tradition
Advantages of regional police forces include economies of scale that can allow towns to put more cruisers on the road, provide round-the-clock coverage and even hire a detective to follow up on cases, Sweeney said.
But the hurdles can be significant.
Towns must consider topography, square miles a regional force would cover, response time, and be in the same county and served by the same district court, Sweeney said.
Regional police forces -- while common in other parts of the country -- are rare in New Hampshire.
The state law that allows communities to forge intermunicipal agreements is 31 years old. But the Temple-Greenville Police Department is the only one created under the statute currently in existence.
"It's a New England, Yankee tradition that we like to have control of our own municipal services," Sweeney said. "It's like community policing; everyone likes to have their own police officer."
"It's a New Hampshire thing," Cheshire County Sheriff Richard A. Foote agreed. "People have their own police departments and their police chiefs and that's what the individual towns want .... There is no right or wrong decision."
But James B. Andrews, who wrote and helped pass RSA 53-A, said the intermunicipal agreement law enables towns to govern themselves more efficiently, less expensively and with more professional help.
"I can't understand why there hasn't been a lot of them. I don't think that's progressive," added Andrews, executive director of the New Hampshire Local Government Center Inc., a nonprofit group that represents cities and towns.
"Maybe there is the thought that, 'Oh, we're going to lose some control,' which isn't the case. It makes financial sense and it makes good government sense," he added.
It's more common for small towns to hire a county sheriff's department or larger, neighboring community to provide police coverage for a fee than to create shared police departments, state and county officials said. For instance, Gilsum, a town of about 740 people with no police department, pays to have Cheshire County deputy sheriff's provide police coverage, Foote said.
Meanwhile, state police often remain the only law enforcers in rural areas where many small towns have no police force of their own, Sweeney said.
"A lot of the smaller communities rely on state police heavily for their help. You can certainly see it in the North Country. They do a great job. The communities are pleased and, let's face it, may not be able to afford any more than that," said Peter Morency, Berlin police chief and president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
Link to article:
http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Towns+tea
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ATKINSON's Vietnam HONOR ROLL as VOTED and PASSED by 2005 Town Meeting and re-approved at Special Town Meeting Sept. 12
EDITORIAL-
A voice of compassion, an example of fairness and reasonable government.
One who believes in the strength and comfort you, your children and your family can draw from good government leadership.
A person who knows Atkinson is our home -- our most important possession that must be preserved and protected through fair taxes and sound community planning and where our children must be safe to grow to become a new generation of leaders.
One who knows that the citizens of Atkinson are all neighbors with her leadership to be dedicated and responsive to all.
One who believes that when those from Atkinson have served our nation and honors are deserved, those honors must be given.
In Valerie Tobin, we now have a leader we know we can entrust with these responsibilities because they are part of her character.
It is our honor to endorse Valerie for election to Atkinson’s Board of Selectmen.
Just a note for those who wish to count the deer.
In January 08 this blog had 16,000 hits and 1,500 unique visitors (for the month).
In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
EDITORIAL-
"I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ." [TP, 1776]
We take no small measure of umbrage at such a hostile official act against this BLOG’s patron. Therefore, a timely Editorial comment is both appropriate and necessary.
Discussion of Atkinson’s financial direction, from any viewpoint, is fundamental and encouraged and we will always attempt to limit and correct errors.
However, Righteous indignation towards purported error of such inconsequential nature is not appropriate.
The ENTIRE car deal is problematic. If it was caused by poor judgement, improper exercise of authority, neglect or mistake or even specious reasoning, this will never trump the facts that the entire questionable transaction started and ended within a very small circle of confidants.
We find the entire circumstances surrounding the disposition of the police Cruiser highly irregular at the least and the "explanations" somewhat trifling and exhaustive of our intellect.
Mr. Consentino: It’s time to go. Being Chief of Atkinson’s Police Department is NOT a birthright. That is a fabled legend of yesteryear.
Historically in Atkinson, police chief appointments were made "under the hand of the selectmen" for terms of one year at a time, as was also the case in the beginning of Mr. Consentino’s assorted and discontinuous stream of appointments to this position.
Your only remaining credential established on a claim of indispensability has faded.
So time is neigh. Plan a graceful exit, Clean out your desk, Accept the gratitude and tearful sentiments from some. We plan no editorial recriminations. It is time. Thank you for your service, We wish you a long and happy retirement. Bon Voyage.
LETTER
"To All Atkinson Residents,
I am writing to ask for your help. A member of the Atkinson Police Department needs our help. I am here to ask for your help in Corporal John Lapham's fight for his life. As you are aware, John has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He has been once again hospitalized with an infection that is threatening his life. He is one of the bravest people that I have ever met. He has never asked of anything from the residents of the town. Now is our chance to step up and help both him and his family out. As everyone is aware John has been out of work for a few months. His family has been busy helping John to get better. He needs our help, and I am hoping that this town can step up to the plate and help. From the moment that I met John, I have admired him. He does alot, but never asks for anything in return. He has helped so many people in this town. I for one am one of those people. Please help him.
There is a fund set-up in his name at TDBanknorth in Plaistow. Any amount will help John, while he is out of work. It would be great if this town could help ease a burden off his wife.
Thank You
Also if anyone would like to send a card, please address it to:
John Lapham
c/o Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Ctr.
Inpatient mail
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
United States
Please show Corporal John Lapham, that this community can stand up and show our support to those in need. I for one, miss John and can not wait until he can get better and return to work. Please show him that we support him. "
39 comments:
First of all, Greenville didn't give up the PD, the cops all quit and they had no one to take the calls. I believe the State Police or the Sherrif had to step in to cover the town and this problem has been going on for several years, it's not anything new. Greenville is a very small, poor, undeveloped town in the Monadnock area. This is not the same as a small MA border town in a populated area.
So we are back to the issue of what do we do about the ineffective, expensive, fraudulent mess of a PD we have. Where do we go from here? Is combining with Plaistow a good solution? How do we share costs? Plaistow is not the unconscious town that Atkinson has become...The property taxes are so different, as are the populations and level of development. Is this a good match, Plaistow and Atkinson, probably not...but we need to look at solutions.
Who said it would have to be Plaistow? What about Hampstead?
As the article says, rationalization is SOP for most of the country. Where I come from the sheriff's dept. handles the county with substations in the larger towns. One administration, one dispatcher system, one radio system, economy of scale. It's been done that way years and years, and works.
To me, replicating every town function in every town wastes a ton of money. The only exception is the FD since physical location takes precedence.
Concur with the previous post. Significant redundancy across the towns. There is a duplication of numerous resources including personnel, equipment, supplies, training and facilities (heat, electricity, insurance, maintenance, etc.). Who says the police station has to be in town? There is no "life safety" benefit from having the police station in town. What matters is having full time police on patrol. If a Hampstead police officer was on patrol near the Atkinson border, you could leverage the overlap into the next town. Picture a map where you take three officers patrolling - one in the north of town A, one in the south of town B and one in the middle by the town border. You would have faster response times in both towns and the cost would be shared. Imagine doubling the patrol capability for half the personnel cost.
Look at all the part time, backups that require training, uniforms, equipment, etc. You could centralize a pool of officers to support numerous towns to draw from as needs arise.
You could centralize purchasing power for greater discounts for fuel and other items.
You could go on and on with the areas for cost savings. Financially, it looks like a no brainer to me. Politically, it will be a dog fight.
I agree that Hampstead is a better match for several obvious reasons, population, growth, tax base, etc. and general small town similarities. I don't know where you come from but it sounds like it's more efficient a place. If we team up, the towns need to be similar.
Article submission: Eagle Tribune, today...May 28, 2008
Atkinson selectmen, residents at odds over right-to-know requests
By Meghan Carey
Staff writer
ATKINSON — Town officials said they are overburdened by right-to-know requests that are too broad to easily research.
Selectmen want to know if they are legally required to do lengthy research to fulfill the blanket requests, according to selectmen's Chairman Paul Sullivan.
The town has sent a response letter to each request, but those making the requests said they aren't getting the information they want — and they don't think they ever will.
Some requests have been for copies of minutes from each meeting during which a specific topic was discussed, Sullivan said. The time it takes for staff members to go through each set of minutes and look for a specific topic costs the town money, he said.
"We need to figure out if this is our obligation to research," he said.
It's not, according to Bill Chapman, a Concord attorney who specializes in right-to-know law. Government bodies are required to fulfill reasonably described requests, he said.
"If we look at it from just a common sense basis, to say all minutes where a particular matter has been discussed is not reasonably describing it," Chapman said.
The person filing the request should ask for copies of minutes from specific meeting dates, he said. Or, since agencies are required to keep all minutes on file, the person asking should be able to look through years of minutes themselves, he said.
"The purpose of the right-to-know law is to not only honor the public's right to know, but also to not put undue burden on the governing body," Chapman said.
He said he doesn't recall a case where the words "reasonably described" were challenged. But those who file right-to-know requests in Atkinson have not been satisfied with the town's answers, and one resident said he's ready to challenge officials on it.
Leon Artus said between his committee — Atkinson Taxpayers for Fair Evaluations — and others, more than 30 right-to-know requests have been filed in town since the beginning of the year. He said many of those requests are "in transition" now because he didn't get the answers he wanted.
"Never have, and obviously never will, until it's taken to a higher authority," he said.
But selectmen maintain they are following the law.
Selectman Bill Friel said requests need to be more specific.
"This one also asks for some conclusions for us to answer, which isn't part of the right-to-know law," he said.
Large green, black and white Right to Know Law signs are now posted around Town Hall, reminding residents of what they can and cannot request.
The town is required, by law, to respond to the requests within five business days. But with requests for all public mentions of a certain subject, such as assessing, there isn't time for interim Town Administrator Craig Kleman to do lots of research, especially in that time frame, the selectmen said.
Since he arrived in April, Kleman said he has worked on four right-to-know projects. The requests ranged from meeting minutes to information on personnel files, which cannot be publicly released, he said.
"It's a very time-consuming process and, you know, you want to make sure you are really answering the spirit of the right-to-know law," he said.
Kleman said he couldn't estimate how long he spends on each case nor the total amount of time he has spent.
------------------
Is it ok if I plant flowers around my mailbox? I want them to grow thick and tall and beautiful but I'm afraid that they may grow onto the mailbox and I might be stopped by the police for attaching things to my own mailbox and branded as a felon.....What shall I do? Shall I ask if I have a Right to Know if this will actually happen? Do I have the Right to Know if this will happen? Is it a valid concern or is it too vague that the selectmen may not understand what information I need? Is there a Town ordinance against flowers at my mailbox? Is there a Town ordinance against thinking about flowers? Is there a Town ordinance against thinking? OMG, what shall I do? Chief, can you find out if there's a federal law against my flowers....OMG.
Think of it this Atkinson already subcontracts its dispatch function to plaistow. Fire does it full time while Police does it part time. It seems to me that these departments has taken some steps to control costs to run their departments. You have to look at this from an operational viewpoint. Do you want to have a police officer on duty in the town 24X7? Or are you willing to split the time with some other town? If you are not willing to to do that then we are just talking about the adminstration overhead.
Im not sure this is the solution, i do know eliminating the part-time, pleasure car driving , shady donation account managing police chief with a honest full time chief, things would change for the better.
This town needs to start a movement to vote on a new full time police chief. We need to start a petition. We have months to get this done, and done it needs to be.
First off, there is full time 24/7 police coverage in Atkinson.
Second, keep in mind that Hampstead's police chief is part time, as well.
Third, a police station or "substation" does have to be in town due to response time issues. I am sure that the citizens of Atkinson who call for a police officer want that officer at their door within minutes; not 15, 20, 30, or more minutes because an officer is on patrol in a neighboring town.
Fourth, the cops in Greenville did not quit. The citizenry of Greenville voted to have the entire police department done away with. The State Police and Sheriff's Department did not "step up". The State Police HAVE to respond to 911 / emergency calls ONLY. They are not required to answer "routine" calls for service. The Sheriff's will contract and it will cost and did cost the Twon of Greenville money to have them patrol.
Fifth, Atkinson is not a small border town and we must keep in mind that we border three large towns and / or cities: Haverhill (MA), Salem, and Derry; as well as two growing towns: Hampstead and Plaistow.
Sixth, property taxes, population (which is only a 1,500 to 2,000 people difference between Atkinson and Plaistow) and "level of development" do not matter. Contracts, Collective Bargaining and Mutual Aid agreements would have to be drawn up between the towns. And for those of you who think that we would be getting rid of all of our cops and replacing them with outside officers...think again. All the full time officers would be absorbed into the "regional" department, as well as a large portion of the patrol working part time officers. The police station would still be - and have to be - kept open and operational. Next, you come to a complete overhaul of equipment, uniforms, vehicle design, and making sure that all the officers carry the same firearm and same ammunition. It would cost us so much more to make a move to a "regional" department than it would be to bring in a new full time police chief.
Don't cut your noses off to spite your faces. The Atkinson Police Department is not ineffective, there are hard working cops who do a great job and who have done amazing things for the citizenry of Atkinson over the years. This constant salvo of anti-police rhetoric is destroying the morale of the working cops...think about that and lets clean our house first and not burn it down just because we want a new one. It is a matter of civic pride and safety that we have our own police, patrolling our own streets, and wearing our town name on their shoulder patches and badges.
It has been my experience that the officers staffing our police ept. are professional, with great integrity, temperment, and are well suited to their jobs in our town.
Unfortunately, it is the management that is inefficient, and ineffective.
There was a time a few years ago that Greenville did not have a PD and the town was being policed by the county or the state. I believe it was the Sherrif. I travel there alot, I know. They voted in the Temple-Greenville PD after this.
I do not agree that Plaistow and Atkinson are similar due to the commercial growth and higher incidence of trouble there. I personally think that we should team up with a similar town and I think Hampstead is more similar. How would we reconcile the financial responsibility appropriately if Plaistow uses more resources due to the growth factor?
Atkinson is a small town, under 7000 residents and it is a border town, it borders Haverhill (which is in mass BTW).
People do not complain about the cops in town, only the Chief and the Lt. who are ripping us off. At least if we combine PDs with Plaistow the Lt. will not have to hide his car when he works there.
I don't agree that people posting on this blog are anti-Atkinson PD. There are two specific individuals running that organization who are the problem, especially the chief. My experience with the full time officers that do real work is they do their job. It's not the officers I'm griping about.
Post #2 speaking again.
Here's how a regional PD would work, in this case Atkinson/Hampstead. An agreement would be signed and the integration done in phases. First, you decide where the central station would be. Whoever has the better facilities. Towns are close enough that a substation is not needed. The example I sited is a county of 680 sq. miles. Hampstead and Atkinson combined is 24.6 sq. miles. One station will do just fine.
Second, the communications system has to be integrated. I don't know enough about Hampstead's to comment. Tis would be possibly the biggest, and only, one time cost involved, maybe. If done right though, it could solve the dead spot issue that brought us the infamous tower boondoggle.
Integration of uniforms, gun, cars, can be phased in over time. No need to do this all at once. An Frankly, I don't care if the officers badge say's Hampstead-Atkinson or Atkinson-Hampstead. Civic pride has not rid our PD of its problems so far. Issue is a non-starter.
There also seems to be an assumption the officer on duty is patrolling Hampstead and coming to Atkinson. Expand your thinking. If this were to be done, one or more officers patrolling Hampstead, one or more patrolling Atkinson, AT THE SAME TIME. They would also back each other up in an emergency. This is done on occasion already.
Regarding Plaistow dispatch: They only dispatch Atkinson at night. There is also a downside to this arrangement. Both towns use Plaistow's communications system. It's complicated, but this arrangement is why Atkinson has radio dead spots.
Personally, I would see it as a win/win for both towns.
RE: May 28, 2008 6:17 PM - Give it a rest.
To Anon Post #2 :
I totally agreed with everything you said until you told me to give my flower planting fears a rest. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional planting time for those gardeners in this area, i.e., zone 5. When I dropped my goods out front and started to dig, I looked up at my mailbox and the problems that Carol Grant faced came to mind and in an effort to further establish the ridiculous nature of the attack by the Chief, I wrote about my flowers. I was serious while being light. Did Carol expect that this historically accepted practice of attaching flyers to mailboxes would get her stopped by the head nut in his flashing pseudo-glory? Probably not. Nor did I expect a dig. No pun intended.
To Anonymous May 29, 2008 10:29 AM
As a tax payer, I think this topic is an absolute joke. Haven't you people anything better to do. Why even talk about this, it will never happen. Maybe you shoud find something better to do with your time. This is why this blog is going downhill, noone cares about the issues.
To anon @ 1:54.
The future of the APD is a great topic and some of us are very interested and DO care about these issues. If you're not interested, go find something else to do, it's a free country.
Re; 6:17: Sorry. This was not about flower planting, nor Carol Grant. Carol was able to prove her rights were violated. And what the chief did to Carol regarding her mailers was inexcusable. Carol is now trying to save our natural resources. I salute her.
This town has serious problems i.e., Chief, water grab, conflict of interest. The Right to Know issue, which is what I believe was the true intent of the post, right now is not at the top of my list. If a conspiracy is uncovered, I'll put it back on my list.
If I'm wrong you have my sincerest apologies. You've also taught me that when I'm making progress making a point, not to sidetrack it.
To the arguments about the current chief of police;
Chief of police is an appointed position IN ADDITION TO the job he was hired for, that of police officer. Think of it as a "special duty assignment".
Town Moderator, Polito's esteemed but erroneous legal opinion notwithstanding The selectmen have the right to appoint anyone they see fit to the position of chief. If his appointment has expired, as his evidently did in 1999, then the selectmen can appoint at will, this does not give officer Consentino cause to sue the town.
And if the Town chose to fire him outright from his occupation as a police officer, he still would be unlikely to prevail in a review hearing, given the NH Supreme Courts established positions in;
Blake v. Pittsfield,124 N.H. 555, 561(1984); where police chief Blake was fired for overspending his budget by $4000.
Yoder v. Middleton, 152 N.H. 363,369(2005); where police chief Yoder was fired for giving a friend a box of ammunition from the police station valued at $44.80
As you can see, the Court takes a dim view of any impropriety, and has stated in both these cases that ANY basic dishonesty is a disqualifying factor in a position of public trust, such as a police chief.
Then what are they waiting for?
They are waiting, IMHO, because all hell will break loose in some quarters of the population.
But, as has been pointed out, several times, citizen Phil will not be able to use the PD resources to bully people. He may still be a bully, but if he threatens, you can call the real police.
And, as has been pointed out, whatever firestorm occurs if he were to be dismissed, it will blow over, and the sooner the deed is done, the sooner the blow over.
"If his appointment has expired, as his evidently did in 1999"
Is this really true??? Wow.
In the private sector this then would be known as "Employee at Will", which, within certain limits of the law, the company can fire you for no cause at any time. Employee at Will is a very common policy.
And you site examples of chiefs (I presume) for being fired for "relatively" minor actions. Well, we have one, a biggie. The chief buying a SUV without authorization. Geeeez, talk about grounds. And more recently, the sick pay issue.
Let the chief sue. He'd most likely loose and the town could cut its losses.
Like the man said, "what are they waiting for?"
The Lt. is not part of the problem!
He works for the chief. THE CHIEF IS HIS BOSS! when the chief is gone you will see!!The Lt. is an honest hard working man!
RE: May 31, 2008 10:32 AM
Fine, whatever. I've no problem letting him stay at the job he now holds when the chief is gone.
As far as honesty, the issue of his military pay, past and present, adds a layer of tarnish that I find troubling.
"The Lt. is an honest hard working man!"
What an odd entry given the current thread. You might not be suggesting he take on a new role, would you?
Let's see:
1) William Baldwin v. Town of Atkinson
2) The board asked Sgt. Baldwin to furnish his military Leave and Earnings statement, so that they could reconcile accounts. He refused, instead he furnished a commanders base pay letter, which only listed base pay, leaving out all his entitlements.
3) Chief Consentino admitted "for the last 6 years" submitting sick pay vouchers for Lt. Baldwin when he does his Coast Guard Summer Camp, for 2 weeks every summer.
So let's summarize, he has sued his employer, he failed to follow a directive from the BOS, and he didn't say to the chief, for 6 years, "Sir, I believe this violates town policy. Thank you very much but I'd rather do the right thing."
A real model citizen and employee for sure.
Hey where has the detective's car been the last two weekends?
He isn't taking it home is he?
Here is my outlook...I do know these facts about the Lt. He is a hard working, honest, level headed,
respectable, educated, human being,and Police officer...Knowing these facts helps me determine the kind of person he is..with this in mind, I take what has happened in the past as I do not know all the facts..dont care too.I know what kind of person he is and the dedication he puts into this town. Maybe you should really get to know him instead of throwing stones when you dont know all the facts involved in these situations...thanks.. DJ
Anon,
The FACTS of these issues are duly explained in the minutes of selectmen's meetings, iin Mr. Baldin's lawsuit against his employer, the Town of Atkinson, and in the Letter to him from then selectmen chair, Barbara Stewart demanding he either provide his LES or return the $5,900.
As for Education, being a solid "C" high school student, and possessing no college degree, do not necessarily qualify someone as "educated" as you put it.
Facts are facts, and the Town is entitled to have the best qualified person in any job, by objective standards!
He is currently working on his degree!!!
Look, I am not running the man down because he doesn't have a degree, and I believe he has been working on this assoc. degree for the 9 years he has been on the force here in Atkinson.
I am just stating that if the town were to search for a new chief tomorrow, they would have to advertise the position, and he would have to compete against people with more years on the force, more responsibility in those jobs, and more education.
I am well aware how the process works..I am just a little tired of
seeing his name dragged through the mud..on this blog...He is a good man..doesn't deserve to be ridiculed
every time he makes a statement in the paper...
His name is not being dragged through the mud. He is being criticized partly because of his own actions, and partly because of the perception placed in peoples minds by the chief, and HIS actions. The second part is somewhat unfair, but to be expected. The first part he is going to have to answer for, when the time comes where he is being considered.
"I am just a little tired of
seeing his name dragged through the mud..on this blog."
Hey, the title of this thread is, "Towns Merge Police Departments" and was going along just fine, when bam, an entry praising the LT. was entered. What was that all about?
And how is simply reciting the facts dragging a man through the mud? You, or one of your buddies opened the door. The Lt. has been discussed at length in other threads. Did you expect a different reaction this time?
Like the man said, if the chief's position opens up a search process would have to be conducted. The Lt. can apply and get evaluated like all the other applicants and his past actions will have to be taken into consideration.
Placed in peoples mind by the chief.....Please remember that!!Get to know him..you will see the kind of officer he is and the dedication he brings to this town!!Thank you
Do all of you who criticize and complain about consentino realize that if you all quietly called selectmen Friel and Sullivan, and let them know how you feel, he would be gone the next time he crossed the line.
Dont bother calling childs that will only get you screamed at.
Well i believe i was responding to this statement.....Not just randomly praising anyone ...so thanks...
People do not complain about the cops in town, only the Chief and the Lt. who are ripping us off. At least if we combine PDs with Plaistow the Lt. will not have to hide his car when he works there.
May 29, 2008 9:13 AM
And your loyalty to the LT. is admirable, but it would behoove Lt. Baldwin to explain about his attempt to get the town to pay him $1,500/mo. MORE than he was losing by his military service.
and;
His abuse of town paid sick time.
and;
His use of a town vehicle to go to other jobs, rather than for town business.
He has the ability to "clear his name" so to speak.
Let's hear it.
"Placed in peoples mind by the chief.....Please remember that!"
What, the chief planted in our minds the facts already known about the LT. Darn those pesky fact things.
"He is currently working on his degree!!!"
And I suppose we are paying for that too. Honestly, I don't understand how he could have gotten the job in the first place without a degree. Only in Atkinson.
"Get to know him..you will see the kind of officer he is and the dedication he brings to this town!"
Still not sure what the real point is you're trying to make. Sure, he may be a great guy. Being dedicated is wonderful, glad to hear it. All this does not make him qualified for any position other than what he holds.
Given his prior actions against the town, his lack of a degree, and his lack of experience I'm sure will all be considered if he applies for the chiefs job.
If the Lt. applies for the job.When the chiefs position is open. I am sure he has a just as much chance as anyone.Taking everything into consideration. Once again like I have said in the past. It has been proven by turn out at certain town meetings...This blog really does not have very much effect on the ....TY
Well, as far has the Lt. having as much of a chance as any other; this will not be a lottery. Criteria will be established and candidates evaluated again that. I don't the guy has a chance.
As far as the blog not having any influence; 1) You've gone to a lot of effort to sing the Lt.'s praises. Why bother if no one is listening? 2) Sapia sure thought the blog had influence. He lied about the advice given him by the town's lawyer, convinces the board it's gospel, and goes on a rampage to take down the blog signs as soon as they go up. A lot of effort for something that does not matter.
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