Wolfeboro police commission defends hiring push, accreditation plan as MRI inquiry and public criticism surface

The Wolfeboro Police Commission on Feb. 12 said it has five conditional offers for police candidates and reiterated an ongoing push to professionalize the department through updated policies and state accreditation, while responding to questions about internal investigations and an outside review that cost the town roughly $7,000.

The commission's chief executive, Chief Christopher Warren, told the commission, “We have 5 conditional offers of employment on the table.” Commissioners and command staff said the offers begin background checks and medical clearances; candidates who pass those steps will complete a final interview with the commission before any appointment.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the hires are part of a broader effort to stabilize staffing, raise entry pay to be competitive with nearby agencies and prepare the department for accreditation. The commission also addressed public concerns about alleged high numbers of internal affairs investigations and a March warrant season that includes articles affecting the police budget and union contracts.

Commission discussion and clarifications

Commission members and department leaders described several specific staffing and budget items. Captain Liddy and other presenters noted patrol activity and incident increases for January and described the department's fuel use and other operating details. The commission said entry-level pay recently was raised from about $23 per hour to $26.81 per hour for new hires, with contract language committing to a roughly 15% pay increase phased over three years for lower-paid steps. One speaker summarized the change as improving starting pay “to be in league with the other agencies around Lakes Region.”

The commission described the department's plan for new hires: a part-time academy and field-training process that includes overtime for training officers (about 1.5 hours per day, four days per week) and a field-training period the commission said typically lasts 8–12 weeks. The commission estimated an initial equipment and issue cost of about $4,000 per new officer (uniforms, body armor, weapon and standard gear); the overtime costs for field training were described as a separate budget item. Commissioners said candidates sign three-year training contracts that can obligate a recruit to reimburse certain costs if they leave prematurely.

On retention and departures, the commission reported attrition across multiple administrations and explained several reasons officers leave, including retirements, promotions and moves to other agencies. The commission said exit interviews are being formalized through the town human-resources process so departing employees can speak more freely.

Internal investigations, MRI review and legal requirement

The commission addressed public concern about “internal affairs” activity and an outside inquiry by Municipal Resources, Inc. (MRI). Chief Warren clarified the department’s procedures: “The chief of police, by statute, is the only 1 that can order an IA,” and he described three levels of complaint handling—an inquiry, a complaint and a formal internal investigation—each with different thresholds and processes.

Commission statements quoted state law as the basis for external review: commissioners said the relevant statute requires law-enforcement agencies to investigate complaints alleging officer misconduct (cited in the meeting as RSA 106-L:20). The commission said one internal-investigation-level matter had been initiated in the past 12 months and that one MRI inquiry—requested through town counsel because of the matter’s nature—cost the town “just over $7,000.” The commission said the MRI report was forwarded to the state's conduct-review committee and to the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council for further review or action.

Commission response to public criticism and petition activity

Commissioners and the chief repeatedly pushed back on what they described as misinformation circulating on social media about staffing cuts and alleged excessive use of investigations. Mr. Malone (police commissioner) summarized the commission’s direction for the chief: they hired Chief Christopher Warren “to lead the change in the culture of the Wolfeboro Police Department to professionalize the agency through a complete rewrite of the department policies and procedures, which will culminate in state accreditation.”

During public comment, resident Luke Frydenberg urged critics who want change to run for office rather than rely on online commentary, saying, “if you got a problem with government, the best thing to do is to run.” Commissioners reminded residents that a petition warrant article to disband the commission was defeated in the previous vote and encouraged voters to review warrant materials ahead of the March 11 deliberative session and the town vote.

Background and next steps

Commissioners said the department is building an eligibility list of candidates beyond the five conditional offers. They described an internal policy push to publish department policies and approved materials (they said they plan to use a public-facing platform, PowerDMS, for non-confidential policies and selected training materials). Commissioners said accreditation remains a priority and described accreditation as a multistep process requiring documented policies, enforcement and audits.

Formal actions at the meeting included approval of previous meeting minutes and an adjournment; no new ordinances, appointments or contract awards were finalized at the session.

Ending

The commission said it will continue processing the conditional offers through background, medical and field-training steps and will bring final hires before the commission for appointment. Commissioners urged residents to direct questions to commission members or command staff and to consult town documents for warrant-article details ahead of March 11.