Police Commission

Report of the Police Commission

On the 14th of July, 1969, the Police Commission for the Township of Conway became a reality as the result of passage of House Bill No. 196, State of New Hampshire.  The Commission was quick to realize that although Conway is a small community by most standards, the problems confronting the Police Department are the very same as those facing large metropolitan areas throughout the country. This has resulted in the Commission holding regular weekly meetings and additional meetings as situations require. The first major step taken by the Commission was the preparation of rules and regulations for the operation of the Police Department. The Commission has established a procedure for the hiring and promotion of all police personnel. It is now necessary that all applicants successfully pass a written examination administered by the State of New Hampshire Personnel Department, pass a physical examination and be interviewed by the three members of the Police Commission. Since the establishment of this procedure, the Commissioners have hired two patrolmen, Officer Maurice Salmon and Officer Michael Glavin, and a Chief of Police, Albert G. Lane. 

The Commissioners have made several trips to Concord, N. H., visiting various departments of the State, including State Police, Motor Vehicle, Personnel, Purchase and Property, Traffic Safety and Engineering and Highway, and have also examined the operation of other police departments within the State. It has been determined that many services and facilities are available to the Conway Police Department at no or very nominal cost. An example is the six-week training program offered by the State Police Academy to officers of the Conway Police Department and available without cost to the Conway Taxpayer. The Commission will see that at least one Conway Police Officer will attend these training programs when they become available. This will be in addition to any other program being conducted on a local or county level. Other services avail- able include the purchase of equipment and supplies through the Division of Purchase and Property at vastly reduced costs, examinations for all levels of police work administered by the State Department of Personnel, Boards of Review and Evaluation being only one of the many services available from the Division of State Police, and, of course, a great deal of assistance from the State Traffic Safety and Engineering Departments for the traffic problems being experienced by the Town of Conway.

The Police Department is presently operating on a 24-hour schedule with three police cruisers in use by the department. Early in the year 1969 the Selectmen arranged for the leasing of police cruisers rather than outright purchase. It is hoped this method will produce a savings. The new communications equipment, purchased by the Selectmen in 1969, has now been installed and the department is now able to communicate on one of the two radio channels available. This has proved to be most satisfactory as communications may continue uninterrupted when municipal channels are overloaded by fire and other departments.

Since the formation of the Police Commission, the Commissioners have been working with the Selectmen and have enjoyed a very workable relationship. It is the intention of the Police Commission to produce a trained professional police force which will provide a high level of law enforcement at less cost to the Conway Taxpayer.

Respectfully submitted,

HARVEY C. BLAKE
WILLIAM R. BARRINGER
JOHN P. ROBERTS

Commissioners