Carroll Police

Route 3, Twin Mt.
603-846-2200

The Carroll Police Department has been in existence for over one hundred years. Until twenty-five years ago, the department consisted of just one or two officers, who worked on a part-time basis. With the development of the Bretton Ski Area, the building of over 300 condominiums, and the increasing popularity of snowmobiling, the need for further officers has expanded.

The Carroll Police Department The town encompasses 52 square miles -- half of which is located in the White Mountain National Forest. Per an agreement with the Coös County Commissioners, the department also patrols several unincorporated areas bordering the town. Three major highways bisect the town carrying over one million vehicles annually. When necessary, officers have utilized airplanes, snowmobiles, ATV's and mountain bikes to patrol the town and apprehend offenders.

The department works closely with the NH State Police, Fish & Game, and Coös County Sheriff to provide service to its residents and visitors.

2006 Annual Report

First of all I would like to thank everyone for making my arrival to Carroll both in the town and police department a wonderful start. Moving to the North Country has been on my mind for many years and now that my wife and I have made it, it is time to get down to business.

Wow, I have some work to do. Looking at the last twenty years of annual reports I see the same message being repeated over and over. Growth has been knocking at the doorsteps in Carroll inch by inch. In case someone missed the message let me repeat what Chief Gardiner has been telling the residents for years. It's here; growth has stopped knocking and is under way. During the past months, meetings have been held with Celebration Associates and aggressive plans to start construction will begin this spring. How will this affect the taxpayers of Carroll? It will create new employment opportunities but will also result in increased traffic and housing issues. All of this is going to require the increased services from the local police.

As of 01 January 2007 the Carroll Police is going to restructure the staffing to bring change. First off Corporal Smalley has been promoted to Sergeant. Part of his new assignments will be planning and training. In this past year Sergeant Smalley attended Breathalyzer Recertification School, Leadership in Law Enforcement, Firearms Instructor Recertification, Taser Certification, Emergency Vehicle Operations, Communicable Diseases Certifications Schools, and Mobile Data Training for Computers in Emergency Vehicles.

Ptlm. Richard Brown is Carroll Police Prosecutor for all criminal cases; this year he attended Field Training Officer School, Emergency Vehicle Operations, Mobile Data Training for Computers in Emergency Vehicles, Taser Certification, Breath Testing Device Certification, Basic Drug Investigator School, and Communicable Diseases Training.

Ptlm. Tadd Bailey completed the Police Academy, attended schools for Active Shooters in Schools, Taser Training, Communicable Diseases Training, Mobile Data Training, became a certificated Breath Testing Device Operator, certified in use of Police Radar, certified in Emergency Vehicle Operations.

New equipment for the PD this year is a result of the Chief's salary going unused for a few months. This opportunity provided five new Tasers, a patrol rifle and a copy machine. Funds provided from the Recycle center were used to purchase a second computer that is being added to the PD. On the subject of money, Sgt. Smalley and I have researched records from 1980 to 2006. In this time frame it was discovered that (43) people have passed through the doors of the Carroll Police department. This means the taxpayers have paid for the training and outfitting of these officers. This has cost the taxpayers in excess of $278,000. While the reasons for many leaving are varied, most will admit it was the lack of benefits and low compensation. In the short time I have been here two area police chiefs have advised me that stealing trained police officers is not uncommon. Many other agencies can offer a lot more including higher pay. This needs to be looked at, changes need to be made soon, as the taxpayers cannot afford to let this continue. Times have changed and the town must look to providing a better employment package to keep these individuals here.

The Select board has received monthly reports from the PD; year-end numbers are currently showing an increase in calls for service and criminal complaints, and good numbers showing accidents are down and motor vehicle stops showing a slight decrease.

	Calls for service	Criminal complaints	Accidents	Motor veh.
2005	1845	81	72	903
2006	2901	139	44	886

Case activity statistics are showing total offenses committed are 139 complaints resulting in 29 arrests. Out of the 139 complaints, 21 cases are felonies. Larceny/theft is the number one call for service with 38 complaints. Financial crimes were second with 13 reported incidents. Vandalism was third with 11 cases. In 2006, 11 out of the 29 arrests were for Driving Under the Influence. Traffic control stops are down slightly, however a combination of warnings and citations has resulted in approximately $24,474.00 in fines levied against violators. This year has also shown a decrease in motor vehicle accidents. Officer initiated contacts resulted in 35 offenses.

Looking at numbers is just a means of showing the taxpayers that your local police are working to provide a service. This does come with a cost. The new budget proposed is designed to start bringing the local police in line with other PD's in hopes of keeping what we have for employees here and not seeking employment elsewhere. Also as we all know inflation has moved fuel prices upward and this has a huge effect on the budget. In the upcoming year Celebration Associates, LLC has agreed to provide growth projections to the town, with these numbers the PD will generate a plan to the Town with trigger points in place to recommend how the PD should expand to meet the service need requirements that the taxpayer expects. Knowing their numbers are projections into the unknown they will be as accurate as possible as events take place. We will meet the challenge into the future to keep Carroll the best place to live in the North Country.

While the town report or town budget do not reflect the monies returned to the town through the police department we have generated in excess of $32,000 for the town. These monies were generated through grant reimbursements and through restitution from DWI offenders through the court system. These monies have been brought into the town general fund.

As this report comes to a close I need to mention two things of importance. First I came from an agency with best equipment money could buy, the latest technology and a work force that has been educated beyond the norm. My goal here is push the officers by means of education, communication and a better than average worth ethic. Many resources are available at little or no cost to the taxpayer. These means will be sorted out by this department and taken full advantage of. Education will make a better police officer and in the long run produce a strong work force. Technology will come quickly as well.

Last but not least Chief John Gardiner. The man is truly a magician, I find he held this place together with duct tape, broken phones, and radios that were so old the tubes had to be warmed up before he could use them. When I was told he had a new computer the locals said it was a manual typewriter with a kerosene lamp on top of it. But it didn't matter, he came to work, held the place together and gave the Town of Carroll over 20 years of dedicated service. My hat is off to you Chief Gardiner, the PD wishes you the best and we shall continue in your footsteps. PS. You left your mice in the ceiling.

John R Trammell
Chief of Police

The Carroll Police Department welcomes visitors to the community and works hard to provide a safe and secure environment for its residents and tourists.