We broke our 2022 record of 862 calls for service with 973 in 2023. Thankfully we had much fewer major tragedies in town compared with 2022. Our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones this year.

Our top calls for service (CFS) for 2023 are as follows: 

•  Mental Health Assist 67
• Follow Up to a CFS or Incident 67
• Animal Complaints 47 
• Assist other Agencies 42 
• Suspicious Incidents 37  
• Walk-in and Phone Assist 36 
• Emergency Medical Assist 36 
• Found Property 35
• Manner of Operation 34 
• Neighbor Disputes 33
• Welfare Checks 25 
• Record Requests 24 
• Directed Patrol 21 
• Civil Issues 21
• Trees/Wires down 19
• Scams and Fraudulent Activity 18
• Assist Other Jurisdiction 18 
• Motor Vehicle Crashes 15
• Juvenile Issues 15 
• Theft 14 
• Community Policing 12
• House Checks 12
• Vandalism 11
• Disturbance 11
• Motorist Assist 11
• Road Hazard 10  
• VIN Verification 10
• Parking issues 10

Some of these calls for service take only a few minutes, but many of them take hours, days, weeks, or months to conclude, including some that require time in court. In addition to our 973 calls for service, our department also initiated 223 Motor Vehicle Stops. 

The police department continues to be a supportive presence in town through our Office Administrator Penny Gendron, and Corporal Wendy Underwood’s yearly continued coordination of multiple Community Outreach programs. Some of these include the bi-annual Drug Takeback Day, Trunk or Treat (attended by approximately 150 children and their families), and the annual Christmas Tree Lighting (with all the accompanying activities). 

The Alstead Police Department can provide many services to town residents. Among these are Fingerprinting, Car Seat Fitting/Evaluation, and Bicycle Helmet Fitting. We still have a few free bicycle helmets left. We can confidentially provide information to contact outside resources for mental health, welfare, domestic violence victim support and others. To take advantage of these and other services please call 603-835-6277. 

To maintain our certifications and enhance our skills, we participated in multiple training sessions throughout the year. Penny, Wendy and I all were recertified in CPR/AED. Wendy and I did our mandatory training with Firearms, Use of Force, the “3x2s” (2 hours each of Implicit Bias, Ethics, De-escalation) and “Prioritizing Officer Mental Health Wellness”. In addition to the mandatory training, we both attended NH DOS “Fires and Wires” and MDT (Mobile Data Terminal) recertification. Wendy also participated in Mindspring Mental Health Alliance’s “Supporting People who can’t see their Mental Illness”, Granite State Children’s Alliance’s “Know and Tell”, National CJ Training Center’s “Drug Identification and Recognition-Depressants, Anti-Depressants and Inhalants” and “Strengthening Child Abuse and Exploitation Cases with Statement Evidence”, Cheshire County Attorney’s Office’s “Domestic Violence Training”, US DOJ’s “Strategies to Support Resilience and Healing”, and National Center for Rural Road Safety’s “What’s Speed Got to Do With It-Speed Awareness Initiatives” 

Penny and I took CJIS Level 2 Security Awareness, NHMA “Right to Know for LE”, and NHSO Sex Offender Registration Training. Penny also attended Primex “Do’s and Don’ts of Employee Handbooks”. 

I took a course on “Why are Cops Really Dying? Why are They Leaving?” I also attended several training sessions on the recently implemented New Hampshire Law Enforcement Accreditation Certification Program. There may be more information on that in the future. Along with the Ambulance and Fire Departments, I took part in Swift Water Awareness Training that we did right here in the Cold River adjacent to Millot Green! Through Primex, I took their Social Media Ethics Training. All three of us had refresher courses from Primex in Bloodborne Pathogens and Preventing Workplace Harassment. 

In addition to attending many training sessions, I also participated in the Alstead School Faculty and Staff Active Shooter in-service training day. This was a joint effort with the NHSP, and all of our local emergency services which included Alstead Ambulance and Alstead Fire Departments. I was asked to speak at an Active Shooter Training and local case study at the First Student Bus Transportation Facility with our local school bus drivers. 

A huge thank you to our Highway Department, Ambulance and Fire Departments, our mutual aid towns; Walpole and Marlow, and the NH State Police who cover Alstead when we are not on duty. In addition, I would like to thank our select board members who have continued to support our department goals for this past year. 

After all the years of service here, the members of this department, past and present can never be thanked enough. This job would be completely impossible without the tireless efforts of our employees. THANK YOU to our amazing team: Office Administrator Penny Gendron, Corporal Wendy Underwood, and part-time Officer Jonah Merkle for all your hard work every year. Our town is fortunate to have you all working here! 

As we get into this highly contentious political season let us try to remember that it is okay to disagree. Disagreement does not equate to hate. We can not agree, have differences of opinion, or not support the same candidates, but we can still be civil and treat each other with respect and tolerance. Please be kind. 

Respectfully, 

Stephen D. Murrell

Chief of Police