The Rochester Board of Commissioners on May received the police department's monthly report showing the department responded to 3,005 calls for service and generated 401 reports, and moved on a series of personnel items including acceptance of employee evaluations and cancelling the regular July meeting.

The report, delivered to the board by the department's presenter, said, "the police department responded to 3,005 calls for service. Of those 3,005 calls for service, we generated 401 reports," and that "there's no concerning trends that were noted over this reporting period." The board's discussion covered calls-for-service trends, staffing and training needs.

Why it matters: The department's workload and staffing affect patrol coverage, detective caseloads and response times. Commissioners cited staffing and training as factors that shape budgeting and operational decisions going into the next fiscal year.

Most important details

Police staffing and caseloads: The detective bureau currently carries a caseload of 56 active cases and reported six detective callouts in the period covered by the report. The department noted an increase in thefts driven mainly by shoplifting at high-volume retailers; the presenter said the rise was "mainly that was due to shoplifting, at various outlets in business nature. It was more shoplifting type stuff that I noticed." The report identified Walmart as a high-volume site for those incidents.

Recruiting, training and communications: Staff said two communications hires are in background and two others are in field training; if those four complete training, the communications center would be fully staffed for the first time in five years. The department described multiple recent trainings attended by officers, including an advanced DUI detection course, de-escalation training and practical shooting and incident reconstruction courses. The presenter also noted that New Hampshire Police Standards and Training requires 24 hours of training this year for certified officers.

Personnel changes and budget context: The board was told Detective Jim Murphy intends to retire in August after just over 21 years of service. The department plans to request a civilian crime-analyst position as part of the capital/improvement and budget process. The finance discussion said the department will likely return unspent funds to the city's general fund though the exact amount was "not specified"; overtime lines are overspent but attrition is helping offset those costs.

Board actions and procedures

The board unanimously approved acceptance of the minutes from the May 7, 2025 meeting. Commissioners then voted to cancel the board's regular July meeting; the motion passed on a voice vote with the chair calling for "Aye." The board moved into a nonpublic session "pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, personnel and legal," and after returning to public session approved personnel evaluations.

Quotes and attributions

"There's no concerning trends that were noted over this reporting period," the department presenter said, summarizing the monthly statistics.

On the nonpublic session motion, the meeting chair said, "pursuant to RSA 91 dash a colon 3, personnel and legal, I make a motion that we go into non public session." The motion was seconded and approved.

Other items

The report highlighted school resource officer (SRO) activities, including DWI prevention presentations around prom and mock oral boards with the criminal-justice class; juvenile diversion staff completed the LEADS program at the school and continue planning for National Night Out in August at the high school triangle. The department also noted participation in the Memorial Day parade and that one officer assigned to the FBI major-offender task force was replaced following a resignation.

What's next: The department will finalize year-end accounting for the fiscal year and submit budget requests that include a crime analyst position. The board will reconvene if needed in July only if business arises that requires a special meeting.