Greenfield Police Chief Brian Giammarino is back at work.
The chief worked his first official shift Sunday, according to Sgt. Glenn Roberge, 44 days after being placed on leave in June following a critical-incident shooting in Peterborough.
Giammarino was the officer who shot and killed Michigan teen Lane Lesko on June 21 after a car chase that ended in Peterborough. Following an investigation, the N.H. Attorney General’s office ruled that the shooting was legally justified.
“We’re pleased to have him back on the force,” Selectboard Chair Margaret Charig Bliss said. “He met all the requirements the AG [Attorney General] wanted; he met the requirements we wanted.”
The Select Board met with Giammarino in a closed session on Aug. 2 and he was reinstated on Aug. 6. Charig Bliss said the town of Greenfield followed the example of other communities that have had similar situations.
Greenfield does not have official protocol regarding police shootings, so Select Board members collected ideas from other governments’ policies, and adhered to the Attorney General’s recommendations.
In most of the protocols they consulted, the chief of police conducts an investigation into the events of the shooting before making the decision to reinstate an officer.
Charig Bliss said they had to stick with the Attorney General’s investigation in this circumstance, because the subject was the chief, who could not investigate himself.
“There’s a whole list of things that it is advisable for an officer to go through who’s been in a shooting,” she said.
An example is retesting at the shooting range, which Giammarino did last week.
Charig Bliss did not disclose whether he took part in psychological counseling or other treatment. Giammarino was missed during his absence, and not only because of Greenfield’s current officer shortage.
The Facebook page “We 100% Support Chief Brian Giammarino” has grown to nearly 1,600 members.
Giammarino’s return is right on, or a little ahead of schedule, based on Interim Chief Andrew Wood’s projection in July that he would return in mid-August.
Brandon Latham can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 228 or blatham@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @blathamMLT.