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Select Board objects to 'juvenile investigative officer' title; asks staff to revise duties and pay grade
Summary
Board members expressed concern that creating a position titled specifically to investigate juveniles sends the wrong message; the board voted against adopting a juvenile-targeted job title and asked staff to return with a revised job description and appropriate pay grade.
The select board debated a proposed personnel change to establish a juvenile investigative officer position. Several members said a title explicitly tied to juvenile investigations could be misread by the public and suggested instead a role with broader investigative duties or a different title.
One select-board member argued, "I'm concerned with creating a detective position that's targeted at just the juveniles here in Bow. I think that sends the wrong message." Several other members agreed, urging staff to revisit the title and to clearly define duties and pay grade before advancing the change. A formal motion was made that the board does not support creating a new job title or role targeted solely at juvenile investigations; the motion passed by voice vote and the board directed staff to return with a revised job description that fits within the approved budget and clarifies scope of duties.
Members emphasized they were not opposed to adding investigative support to the police department in principle, but they wanted broader, clearly defined duties and careful public messaging on the role to avoid misperception. Staff said pay-grade and duty clarification would be addressed and brought back to the board for further review.
