Wolfeboro Police Chief

[TiltonBB]

The Wolfeboro Police Chief is on paid leave pending an "Inquiry".

Very little information given in the article.

Chief Rondeau is a 23-year veteran of the Wolfeboro Police Department holding many positions along the way to becoming chief, including patrolman, patrol and investigations sergeant, lieutenant and captain, according to the department’s website.

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...0c23f565f.html

[TiltonBB]

I didn't think of it until I read this article but the Wolfeboro Police Chief is the third area Police Chief to have had problems in recent years.

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...25e8ef859.html

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

I didn't think of it until I read this article but the Wolfeboro Police Chief is the third area Police Chief to have had problems in recent years.

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...25e8ef859.html

You are correct. Too much time on one’s hands turns into the devil’s playground. One could say the area police department are over staffed with administrators and not enough active police officers


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[Major]

Originally Posted by WinnisquamZ

You are correct. Too much time on one’s hands turns into the devil’s playground. One could say the area police department are over staffed with administrators and not enough active police officers


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Just like our schools. Too many chiefs, not enough indians. Every government agency seems to be adopting this model. Higher education too.

[Mr. V]

It will be "interesting" to learn what he is accused of doing.

Could be light weight, could be serious.

And the beat goes on.

[Billy Bob]

In much of other parts of the country we rely on county sheriffs departments rather then all these small town police forces. When you look at the money wasted in all the small towns forming the structure needed for a 5 or 20 man force when a department covering a larger area would be much more effective you will see what is being lost. Larger force gets you better training and less duplication of officers. The local control is bs and as demonstrated turns into corruption and other issues.

[TiltonBB]

I would respectfully disagree.

The local police officers attend the same academies that regional police forces attend. I know the Massachusetts State Police Academy routinely has training classes made up entirely of local police officers. Everything about those classes and what is taught is the same except issues that are specific to the State Police.

In the smaller towns a local police force becomes familiar with the local problems. They know the neighborhoods and the residents. When a resident has a need for polices services in situations like a home burglary or traffic accident, it is comforting to them to see a familiar face show up to assist them.

Often, the members of the police department have grown up in the towns they protect and have an even greater desire to serve their hometown than a new resident would. Many towns give residents preference or require new appointments to the police department to become residents if they do not already live in the community.

That familiarity is one thing that even the big cities are trying to encourage so that people feel comfortable talking to the police about their issues. Some cities have increased walking beats to create more interaction with the public. It helps communication and promotes the "If you see something, say something" efforts to reduce crime.

In these days of "Defund the police" the personal relationships with citizens will help to rebuild the respect for police and the rule of law that seems to be diminishing.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

I would respectfully disagree.

In the smaller towns a local police force becomes familiar with the local problems. They know the neighborhoods and the residents. Often, the members of the police department have grown up in the towns they protect and have an even greater desire to serve their hometown than a new resident would. Many towns give residents preference or require new appointments to the police department to become residents if they do not already live in the community.

That familiarity is one thing that even the big cities are trying to encourage so that people feel comfortable talking to the police about their issues. Some cities have increased walking beats to create more interaction with the public. It helps communication and promotes the "If you see something, say something" efforts to reduce crime.

In these days of "defund the police" the personal relationships with citizens will help to rebuild the respect for police and the rule of law that seems to be diminishing.

I agree. We may need to change how some police departments are run and how officers are trained, and we may need to fire corrupt and/or abusive officers more quickly, but we all benefit from a good local police force

[tis]

I don't know if this is corruption. it might just be town politics, he might have offended someone. I heard from what I consider a pretty reliable source, that he submitted his resignation after being put on leave. Not sure if this is correct though so I post it with reluctance. The chief is very much a military man, goes by the book. I can't imagine him doing anything shady. But I guess you never know.

[Billy Bob]

First, there is NO defund the police movement. That’s fake news.

I,m not suggesting getting rid of the local regular officer that is assigned to specific neighborhoods . The problem is the duplicate management groups needed when all these small towns create a police force. We probably have a dozen higher paid police chiefs around the lake followed by all the duplicate buildings , staffs, etc. Put hem all under one chief and staff and use the savings to put more actual feet on the ground

[tis]

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

First, there is NO defund the police movement. That’s fake news.

I,m not suggesting getting rid of the local regular officer that is assigned to specific neighborhoods . The problem is the duplicate management groups needed when all these small towns create a police force. We probably have a dozen higher paid police chiefs around the lake followed by all the duplicate buildings , staffs, etc. Put hem all under one chief and staff and use the savings to put more actual feet on the ground

It does seem like we have a lot of duplicate services but we do throw a lot of money around: 7 million here, 2 million there, all for pleasure things, like recreation, not necessities.

[Descant]

In actual practice, our small towns have access to much of the expertise and equipment that the cities have. There is a lot of sharing and cross training in the PD's just as there is in fire/rescue mutual aid. I like that my neighbor can go to the local PD, where s/he is known, to get a concealed carry permit, as opposed to going three towns away to the county seat where s/he is not known. I can recount several instances where I have received some personal kindness from a police officer in several towns around the state. This all comes from local leaders who foster community policing. And the administrators (chiefs) take their turns on nights and weekends, too. It's not all a M-F desk job.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by tis

It does seem like we have a lot of duplicate services but we do throw a lot of money around: 7 million here, 2 million there, all for pleasure things, like recreation, not necessities.

We've promoted the recreational aspects of our area for decades.

[tis]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

We've promoted the recreational aspects of our area for decades.

I know that but not this much!

[John Mercier]

Escalation that happens over the years.

[gokart-mozart]

The Police Commission and the Selectmen both had nonpublic meetings Wednesday and Thursday to deal with personnel matters.

It would be nice if they would issue a statement, even if it's only "nothing to disclose due to confidentiality, etc, etc"

[Major]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Escalation that happens over the years.

Exactly. I used this example in a prior post to emphasize the growth of government. When I was a student at Memorial Middle School (1977-1979), each grade had approximately twelve teachers (math, science, English and social studies), so 36 total. The "administration" consisted of the following:

• 1 Principal
• 1 Vice Principal
• 2 Guidance Counselors
• 2 Language Teachers
• 1 Secretary
• 1 Physical Education Teacher
• 1 Music Teacher
• 1 Art Teacher
• 1 School Nurse
• 1 Librarian

That's it. The "administration" consisted of 12 people. Three to one teachers to administrators.

Today, the Laconia Middle School has over 40 people to serve the "administration" function. As far as I could tell, there are more support staff than actual classroom teachers. I realize that kids are probably more messed up than when I was a kid. Believe me, we had our problems back in the day. Kids were expected to figure things out on their own. One noticable difference is that we didn't have kids on meds like we do now, though.

Escalation has happened. Especially with government. Police and fire departments seem to have a lot of "administration" too. Controlling spending involves harnessing the creep.

[TiltonBB]

Growing up through the 60's our grade 1 through 6 classes had 28 to 32 students and one teacher, no aide. I remember it as being organized and controlled, a good atmosphere to learn in.

Are the kids that much more difficult to control now? Is it mostly the kids that come from homes showing no respect for their teachers?

[Garcia]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Escalation that happens over the years.

Isn’t this true in all areas rather than just limited to government? Camps have grown into mansions, cars and trucks are bigger and more powerful, boats are bigger, etc. Since this is how we as a people live our personal lives it makes sense that this mentality spills over into how businesses and government institutions are funded and structured.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Garcia

Isn’t this true in all areas rather than just limited to government? Camps have grown into mansions, cars and trucks are bigger and more powerful, boats are bigger, etc. Since this is how we as a people live our personal lives it makes sense that this mentality spills over into how businesses and government institutions are funded and structured.

The mentality switches over time.
For a PD or FD, it may be the argument between resident population and seasonal population... and wholly dependent on whether qualified seasonal labor can be acquired at a competitive rate.

Our promotion of recreation is the general driver of the disparity; at least for this area.

[Major]

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

First, there is NO defund the police movement. That’s fake news.

I guess technically, you are correct. There is presently no "defund the police" movement. (At least not one that anyone would put there name to.)
There most certainly was a defund police movement, especially in the summer of 2020. Many political leaders talked about defunding the police in favor of alternate approaches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OWiRuJgtVE

However, as we all know, the label of defund the police attained an undesirable stigma. Now those who agree with the concept but not the name call it police reform. Kamala would call it police reimagining. Same thing, different name.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Major

I guess technically, you are correct. There is presently no "defund the police" movement. (At least not one that anyone would put there name to.)
There most certainly was a defund police movement, especially in the summer of 2020. Many political leaders talked about defunding the police in favor of alternate approaches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OWiRuJgtVE

However, as we all know, the label of defund the police attained an undesirable stigma. Now those who agree with the concept but not the name call it police reform. Kamala would call it police reimagining. Same thing, different name.

I believe that he was suggesting that in NH, we fund our police with local property taxes... and no movement amongst most of the NH municipalities existed at any time to ''defund the police'' - so for us, it was just a political tag line... not reality.
I think Croydon or Grafton may have gone so far as to defund their PD (usually just a chief in small NH towns) - but that would be due to the Free State Project, not a general attitude.

[Major]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

I believe that he was suggesting that in NH, we fund our police with local property taxes... and no movement amongst most of the NH municipalities existed at any time to ''defund the police'' - so for us, it was just a political tag line... not reality.

I agree with that.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

First, there is NO defund the police movement. That’s fake news.

There's a headline today "Refund the Police", which includes a video interview with the mayor saying, "We need to bring back retired police officers".

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

I,m not suggesting getting rid of the local regular officer that is assigned to specific neighborhoods . The problem is the duplicate management groups needed when all these small towns create a police force. We probably have a dozen higher paid police chiefs around the lake followed by all the duplicate buildings , staffs, etc. Put them all under one chief and staff and use the savings to put more actual feet on the ground

Sounds good on paper; however, when I lived in a County of 2,431 square miles, a shooting occurred across my street. The first officer who came to the scene was from the abutting town! The County officer responded about 15 minutes later.

Prior to this occasion, I'd seen only one County patrol car passing through our neighborhood in fifteen years. ('Figured he was lost).

[gokart-mozart]

Announced by Police Commission 2 hours ago. Chairman Steve Wood declined any further comment.

[tis]

Originally Posted by gokart-mozart

Announced by Police Commission 2 hours ago. Chairman Steve Wood declined any further comment.

I heard that the day after the news broke but didn't know if it was true or not. Maybe it is and he just didn't want to go through all the ----.

[gokart-mozart]

Originally Posted by tis

I heard that the day after the news broke but didn't know if it was true or not. Maybe it is and he just didn't want to go through all the ----.

Sorry, I should have sourced the Union Leader, where this story ran last night. I have not seen it anywhere else.

[Billy Bob]

Originally Posted by ApS

There's a headline today "Refund the Police", which includes a video interview with the mayor saying, "We need to bring back retired police officers".


Sounds good on paper; however, when I lived in a County of 2,431 square miles, a shooting occurred across my street. The first officer who came to the scene was from the abutting town! The County officer responded about 15 minutes later.

Prior to this occasion, I'd seen only one County patrol car passing through our neighborhood in fifteen years. ('Figured he was lost).

Nice one off story however we don’t have any 2’431 sq mile counties. I am not suggesting reducing the number of street patrol units I am suggesting removing all the duplicate management level people in all these small towns and consolidateing management and chiefs. The result would be substantially more police on the streets and fewer chiefs etc with nothing to do and no prospect for promotion

[John Mercier]

Each town/city would need to make that agreement and enter into some sort of cost-sharing formula that they all agree to.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

Nice one off story.

It's hard to forget. My neighbors, driving their Cadillac, returned from grocery shopping in the dark. A carload of robbers tried to force them into their house. The husband, a tennis player in his 70s, put up a pretty good fight in their carport. The commotion got my attention, so I walked out into my front lawn--got shot at--and exchanged gunfire with them.

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

I am not suggesting reducing the number of street patrol units I am suggesting removing all the duplicate management level people in all these small towns and consolidateing management and chiefs. The result would be substantially more police on the streets and fewer chiefs etc with nothing to do and no prospect for promotion

One week after the above confrontation, they struck again, using the same M.O. This time, the victim was Robert L. Shevin, back then, the State's Attorney General! I didn't know he lived just across a canal from me.

Bob Shevin's community, Pinecrest Village, is a "bedroom community" for perhaps hundreds of other lawyers who need only 15 minutes to commute to the downtown Justice Building.

That village subsequently became incorporated with its own police force, becoming the newest of 40+ towns and villages in the County.

BTW: Back when the FBI was doing actual detective work, two agents were shot dead there in 1984. (Before Pinecrest Village became incorporated).

Trying to "undo" what has already been done--especially by lawyers--is a fool's errand.


As for reducing "chiefs", that's not how law enforcement works: Underlings either collect more pay, more overtime, more inventive time-off schemes, or get promoted. Where I worked, the workload is down, but they've hired twice the people; worse, there's one paid supervisor for every three people!

Besides, if a Carroll County Sheriff's Deputy were to receive a call regarding a confrontation at "Chipmunk Hollow", how many minutes would his response-time be from nearby Alton?

[Major]

I had Mr. Girard for Algebra I. He was an excellent teacher.

Maybe it’s more competitive now. More students go to college.

Under your definition, there is an escalation happening in Lakeport. We can only hope it’s as successful as Meredith.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Major

I had Mr. Girard for Algebra I. He was an excellent teacher.

Maybe it’s more competitive now. More students go to college.

Under your definition, there is an escalation happening in Lakeport. We can only hope it’s as successful as Meredith.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't think it is more competitive. I think how we measure ourselves has changed.

During our time, the only standardized test that I can think of taking was a California Achievement Test at Pleasant Street in the fifth grade. The two teachers I had in the fifth grade could easily compare my work and knowledge against the other students in my class, but not so much against those from the other district schools and Holy Trinity. That type of comparison wouldn't really be made until we entered LHS. But even then comparing us to Gilford, Interlakes, Belmont, or Winnisquam was really just comparing the PSAT/SAT scores of just a small subset of students in each class to each other for one moment in time. The Math teams, though only one subject, was a means to do this several times throughout a year.

Our current system, though still a political football, allows much more comparison across a broader population than when we were young.

So school systems can't rely on getting the greatest percentage of pupils just across a low bar of getting a D- in enough courses to graduate; and they can't focus on the few high achievers that score well on the PSAT/SAT.
They have to expend a great deal of effort lifting the lowest achievers up - and by up, I don't mean just enough to graduate. You can graduate with very low competency test scores. But those competency test scores, not the graduation rate are now the focus.

[barefootbay]

This thread certainly went off the rails !

[John Mercier]

Not really.
The topic was about the Wolfeboro Chief.
A question arose, because facts are missing, as to why he is under investigation?

Until more facts are revealed... it is a situation that seems to have played out in several of the municipalities surrounding the lakes... and we venture opinions as to why.

The concept of a department head lacking oversight; a type of government largesse.

The situation being around the lake, that many municipalities have PDs that are at times overstaffed due to population ratios and other times understaffed due to seasonal population surges caused by recreation. Overstaffing thus creating free time, and free time allowing for the probability... if not used wisely... to entertain mischief.

Comparison to another facet of government, public schools, was entertained; but the student population is pretty well known and static... so not a great comparable. The expansion of school administration being subject to another force... not population fluctuation. My theory being a change in performance measuring dynamics.

[camp guy]

First off, let me say that I am not a police officer, nor any type of public official, but, in my opinion, until there is some definitive information relating to the situation involving the Wolfeboro Police Chief, we, the uninformed public, would do everyone a favor and stay out of it. Thank you.