By Molly AK Connors
Concord Monitor
SALISBURY, N.H. — Ever since their two-person police department quit last winter, Salisbury’s residents have called the New Hampshire State Police when they have an emergency.
But officials are looking for a more permanent arrangement for their law enforcement needs, and their choices include teaming up with a neighboring town, hiring a new police force or paying for the services of a county agency, said Ken Ross-Raymond, chairman of the board of selectmen.
“We owe it to our taxpayers to explore all of our options,” Ross- Raymond said.
The town started to rely on the state police last November when their part-time police chief, Frank Jones, and their part-time sergeant, Dan Shapiro, quit. The two accused the selectmen of creating a hostile work environment by attacking the integrity of the police.
Jones’s subsequent lawsuit is still pending, Ross-Raymond said.
Next Wednesday, Salisbury’s selectmen will host Webster’s to discuss ways the two towns might collaborate on public safety. George Cummings, chairman of Webster’s board of selectmen, said he hopes the two towns can learn more about how they might team up, but says it could be a drawn-out process.
“As far as any long-term sort of thing, that would be up to the voters at town meeting in both towns,” Cummings said. “You can imagine how much groundwork and legal agreements that would involve.”
Cummings said his biggest concern would be making sure Webster isn’t adversely affected by any sort of shared service.
“It would have to be a win-win for both towns,” Cummings said.
Salisbury and Webster have already teamed up with Andover and Boscawen to save money by buying office supplies in bulk, but all four have an eye to more ambitious cost-saving measures in the future.
“I think it’s pretty much all driven by the economy,” Ross- Raymond said.
Andover declined to team up on policing, either by contracting or creating adjoining forces, Ross-Raymond said. But it’s still an open question for Webster and Boscawen.
“It is an ideal opportunity for them to reach out to other communities to partner,” Boscawen Selectwoman Lorrie Carey said of Salisbury’s situation. She said Boscawen officials need to consult with their own police department before getting into serious conversations with the town to their north.
“We don’t want Boscawen to lose any services in reaching out to our neighboring communities to help,” Carey said.
When Salisbury had a police department, it provided a total of 40 hours of coverage a week - 32 by Jones and eight by Shapiro. It also had mutual aid agreements with surrounding towns, Ross-Raymond said, but not anymore.
“Generally towns that have a police department will sign mutual aid agreements with surrounding towns. But we really can’t have a mutual aid agreement because we can’t reciprocate,” he said.
While Ross-Raymond said he was concerned the state police wouldn’t be able to come quickly enough for a local emergency, there have been no complaints so far.
“It’s working out well. The state police have had a greatly increased presence in Salisbury,” he said.
While the town explores the possibility of working with its neighbors, Ross-Raymond said Salisbury has also partnered with the New Hampshire Local Government Center to hire a new part-time police chief. The town already interviewed one candidate, who decided not to pursue the job, and will interview another at theof this month, Ross-Raymond said.
“If we hire a part-time chief, it would be meant to be a permanent position,” he said. “Then it’s up to whoever’s hired for that position to determine how many officers they need.”
Until about three years ago, when Jones became the police chief, Salisbury paid $60,000 to the county sheriff for police services, Ross-Raymond said. The budget has stayed the same since then, he said, and the town reached out to Merrimack County about the collaboration again, but hasn’t heard back yet.
The town is not in a rush to make a decision, Ross-Raymond said.
“You really have to understand what each option is and try to make the most responsible decision,” he said.
Local resident Bonnie Lee, who works at the Crossroads Country Store on Old Turnpike Road, said she doesn’t worry too much about the absence of local police.
“Everything’s pretty peaceful around here,” she said. When she and her family moved to Salisbury this summer, they knew there were no local police but were excited about the quality of the schools. Lee said she’s pretty confident help would come if there were an emergency.
“Thankfully, I’ve never needed to call,” she said.
Copyright 2011 Concord Monitor/Sunday Monitor