Rochester Police Department swears in officer and presents annual awards

The Rochester Police Department swore in Officer Shane Bradley and presented its annual staff awards during the commission meeting Jan. 22.

Officer Shane Bradley, introduced by department leadership as a New Hampshire native, was sworn in after the chief described Bradley’s prior service with the Plaistow (Plaistow) Police Department since September 2022 and his graduation from the New Hampshire Police Academy. The chief noted Bradley previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and will enter field training in Rochester; the department said his prior academy training shortens his in-house training timeline.

The department presented three annual awards. Shauna, identified by the chief as an administrative technician in the records division, received the 2024 Support Person of the Year award; the chief’s remarks noted she has worked in the records section since 2021 and handles the department lobby and records requests. Brian Dale received the 2024 Police Officer of the Year award; the chief said Dale had eight peer nominations and described him as proactive and skilled at community interactions. Detective Matthew Kimball received the Chief Theodore Blair Jr. Memorial Award; the nomination read into the record praised Kimball’s professionalism, leadership and specialty work with internet-crimes and cell-phone extractions.

Detective Matthew Kimball told attendees, “I just hope that I can live up to the legacy that this award represents.” The department presented plaques and offered brief remarks; family members of the late Chief Theodore Blair Jr. participated in the award presentation.

Following the awards and the swearing-in ceremony, the commission recessed for photographs and then entered nonpublic session per an earlier agenda motion.

The transcript records no public challenge to the awards and confirms the department solicited peer nominations for the honors.