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Brentwood police chief defends approach to training and retention after Facebook post
Summary
Police Chief told the Select Board he will continue required training but will avoid sending officers to certain outside sessions he considers recruitment risks; he described gaps in in-house capabilities and short-term reliance on neighboring towns for specialized instructors.
The Brentwood Police Chief addressed the Select Board on staffing and training policies following a widely shared Facebook post, saying the town’s officers will continue to receive required training but not all outside sessions will be used.
The chief told the board that under RSA 105:2A the Select Board hired him to run the department and make operational decisions. He said training “is first for the agency itself” and that he will not send officers to locations where he believes other agencies use training events as recruitment opportunities. He added that the department still needs internal capacity—specifically a firearms instructor and better property-room controls—and that he has sent officers to PT instructor and firearms-instructor courses to rebuild those capabilities.
Board members pressed for details on how the department will meet training needs during the transition. The chief said short-term fixes are available: neighboring towns including Epping and Fremont have volunteered instructors for some courses, and officers remain certified on current firearms requirements until new staff are hired. He emphasized retention was the central concern behind his social-media post, not a refusal to provide training.
Select Board members broadly signaled support for the chief’s authority to manage the department while asking for follow-up. One member urged formal exit interviews for departing officers to identify retention drivers; the chief said he had not conducted exit interviews but supported a board-led outgoing process to gather candid feedback. Another board member said pay and a step/merit program should be examined to keep officers competitive with nearby agencies.
The board did not take formal action on training policy at the meeting. Members asked the chief to coordinate with department heads on interim staffing and to return with any specific requests for funding or policy adjustments.
The Select Board meeting moved on to other agenda items after the discussion; personnel matters were later taken up in nonpublic session.
