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Ossipee Selectboard approves employment contract for new officer; chief highlights 287(g) partnership
Summary
The Ossipee Selectboard approved an employment contract for newly introduced non‑certified officer Asa Osgood and heard the police chief and a board member read a governor's letter thanking the department for joining the 287(g) immigration enforcement partnership.
The Ossipee Selectboard on April 14 approved an employment contract for a newly introduced non‑certified police officer and heard town police leaders describe the department's participation in the federal 287(g) program.
Chief Don Babin introduced Asa Osgood as a new non‑certified officer for the town, saying Osgood passed a background check and the department hopes to have him in the academy in May or, if not, in August. "He passed his background. Hopefully, we're gonna get him in the academy in May," Chief Babin said.
The board voted to approve an employment contract for the officer after the public meeting resumed from a nonpublic session. "I have an employment contract here. The officer you just met, I make a motion to approve this," a board member said; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
During the meeting a board member read aloud a letter addressed to Chief Babin from the governor thanking the department for its participation in the 287(g) program, a federal partnership that allows some local law enforcement agencies to coordinate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The letter praised the department's "continued partnership in the 287(g) program" and said the agency's participation reflects a commitment to public safety, according to the reading.
Chief Babin told the board that the program "allows the Ossipee Police Department to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel regarding" immigration cases and said it provides the department with additional computer access and tools to check immigration status. "It's just extra tools that we can do our job more efficiently," he said. He also said there is no cost to taxpayers and that ICE would respond to local requests to take custody of individuals when appropriate.
Other business referenced the recent sale of the old police station property: a board member reported the town "netted $345,000" when the property returned to the tax rolls after the sale.
The Selectboard took the employment contract vote by motion; the motion was seconded and the board approved it by voice vote. No further details about the contract terms were provided in the meeting transcript.
The meeting record indicates the new officer was introduced, an employment contract was approved, and the chief and board discussed the department's participation in the 287(g) program. The transcript does not record any formal vote specifically authorizing 287(g) participation during this meeting, only the reading of the governor's letter and remarks by the chief and board members about the program.
