On August 21st, Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke, addressed the Rotary Club of Nashua regarding the state of the Nashua Police Department. Chief Rourke began his law enforcement career with the Milford Police Department, subsequently moving to Nashua a few years later. The Chief gained broad experience across the Department’s various divisions during his years with the Department and was named Chief in March of 2022. Chief Rourke is actively involved in a number of local and state organizations, including Family Promise, PAL, NH Congressional Awards, and the NH Police Standards Board.
The Chief began is presentation with a brief overview of the state of the city with regard to our police force. About 91,000 residents in the city, the Department is approved for 182 officers (which he ‘d love to say we have, but we fall short), in addition to about 70 civilians. The Department has been nationally accredited by CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) since 1991; with more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the nation, less than 1,000 earn this accreditation. This process, which is renewed every 4 years, evaluates the Department across 461 policies and best practices. Nashua PD has received the highest ranking possible, and anticipates continuing that strong tradition with next year’s renewal process.
Organizationally, the Department is overseen by a 3-person Police Commission, whose members are appointed by the Governor. There are 5 Bureaus within the Department, including Patrol, Detectives (which has three components, Narcotics, Special Investigations, and Criminal), Professional Standards, Legal, and Services.
The Chief then talked about some the Department’s successful programs, including:
The Civilian Response Active Shooters program. He noted that all Nashua teachers and administrators have gone through the entire training, as well as both hospitals.
The Police Athletic League
Community Conversations, which is a series of meetings with high school students
Citizens Academy
Crime Watch meetings
Internship programs, which has narrowed its focus in recent years to college students who are specifically interested in law enforcement)
Among the issues currently facing the Department are:
Recruiting and retention. The Department is currently down 6 officers, and there are another 10 who will be retiring by the end of the year. The Department has had some success in bringing in officers from other towns (increased salaries helped), but they are still very challenged with bringing in qualified new recruits. For example, a recent written exam opportunity had 47 individuals registered, with just 20 who showed up, and only 7 who made it past that initial screening to make it to the next step. We have high standards and we stick to them, and that ca make recruiting even more challenging.
Traffic enforcement – always an issue
Bail reform – the legislature ‘reformed’ the bail laws a couple of years back, and the Department (and law enforcement agencies across the state) they’re now dealing with the repercussions. The Chief shared an example of the homeless person who, walking by an outside restaurant downtown, reached over and took a meatball off a diner’s plate. The police were called, they subsequently brought the individual down to be booked, and he was back on the street almost immediately, at which point he again walked through downtown, grabbing a beer this time, and arrested a second time that night. He noted that a lot of effort goes into investigating and arresting individuals for far more serious crimes like shootings and narcotics, with a similar outcome where they’re out on bail the next day.
The Chief answered a number of questions from Rotarians. He touched on the use of body cameras (he was instrumental in bringing that to our PD with support from the Mayor and it’s been very successful in helping diffuse some tension in certain situations). He discussed the Department’s stepped-up efforts to address homelessness through a new taskforce that connects officers with local agencies who can step in with services immediately. He noted that the Internet has significantly changed policing, with a tremendous increase in cybercrimes, including crimes against children. The Department now has a huge demand for computer forensics experts who can process things like phone logs, camera footage, and other electronics so the evidence gets processed timely and accurately.
The Chief also noted that PTSD and burnout are real issues. They now have a Wellness Unit that helps when issues arise, but those kinds of things can often go undetected. The attitude has changed for the better within the department, but mental health is still a struggle – not just for Department personnel, but it’s also something that’s increasingly seen among offenders. They have established a joint program with Public Health to fund a Mental Health Social Worker to work hand-in-hand with their officers to help with offenders.