Hancock recently hired a new full-time police officer and promoted a part-time officer to full-time, heralding a return to full staffing after a year marked with staff turnover. The Greenfield Police Department also recently brought on a part-timer, and they’re still on the lookout to fill their full-time officer vacancy.
In Hancock, Jesse Stone started working full-time this week after taking an oath of office. Stone, who is not currently a certified officer, will attend police academy training this fall and should complete it in mid-December, Police Chief Tom Horne said. Stone is from Goffstown, and has signed a contract committing to three years of service in Hancock, Horne said.
Nancylee Greiner has been serving as a part-time officer for a couple months and is transitioning to full-time, Horne said. According to Select Board minutes, Greiner served 27 years in the Coast Guard and currently works with Marine Patrol.
“We’re just really excited,” Horne said. “Their background and experience really lend themselves well to the town of Hancock,” he said.
Hancock hired Horne to replace former Police Chief Andrew Wood last December, at which point there were two vacant full time officer positions in town. There have been a couple false starts in filling those positions, including a new hire who quickly left for a position in a different town, a since-abandoned conversation about merging with the Bennington Police Department, and a quick reversal after both Bennington officers, who had asked to work in Hancock according to June Select Board meeting minutes, ultimately opted to stay in Bennington.
Greenfield has had a full-time vacancy since Sgt. Glen Roberge retired last fall. The Greenfield Select Board agreed to appoint Tomas Kierstead as a part-time officer on June 24. Kierstead, a Dublin resident, is in his mid-twenties, attended Unity College, and worked for Fish and Game for a year or so, Police Chief Brian Giammarino said. Kierstead is certified as a full-time officer, and is currently going through field training, he said. It continues to be hard to recruit new officers, Giammarino said, repeating what’s become a universal refrain among local police departments. Part-time officers are stepping up and working a lot of shifts as Greenfield continues their search for a full-timer, he said.