Mason Police Sgt. Richard Fortin officially took up his new mantle as the chief of police, in a pinning ceremony held on Tuesday night.
Fortin has been heading the police department as interim chief since February, during former Police Chief Kevin Maxwell’s leave due to illness from a cancer diagnosis. Maxwell passed away on April 11.
“I’m honored to be your chief of police. I’m also humbled by that. Coming here at this position that I’m in today is only because of someone that’s not here today — that’s because of Kevin Maxwell,” Fortin said.
Fortin meant that in more ways than one, he explained. He was friends with the Fortins long before he became part of the Mason Police Department, he said, and only came to the department in the first place because Maxwell’s wife, Christine Maxwell, would encourage him nearly every week to come and work at the Mason department under Kevin Maxwell. Fortin said he eventually gave in, never expecting it would eventually lead him to become chief.
Somewhat ironically, Fortin recalled, he had been approached by a member of the Mason Select Board in the late 1990s, when he was a member of the Milford Police Department, asking if he had an interest in being the Mason chief of police — an offer he turned down at the time, believing he was too young for the role.
Now, he said, he feels ready for the role. “I look forward to the challenges that lay ahead of me,” Fortin said.
The Mason Select Board took a vote on April 28, to officially pass the torch to Fortin, saying in a statement that Fortin had been “providing steady leadership and continuity for the department during a difficult time for the community.”
Fortin has been in law enforcement since 1985, spending his career with the Milford Police Department. He was promoted to senior patrol sergeant in 1991, and captain of the operations division in 2000. He retired from full-time service in 2007.
Fortin has experience as a field training officer, hostage negotiator, accident reconstructionist, and crime analyst. He has also contributed to the profession as an instructor at the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council, as well as a driving and certified skid car instructor.
Following his retirement, Fortin remained active in other aspects of public safety service, including working with IMC/Central Square Technologies, where he trained approximately 250 police departments in the use of integrated dispatch, record and jail management systems.
In 2015, Fortin joined the Mason Police Department as a part-time officer. He will remain in a part-time position as the new Police Chief.
“Since that time, he has become a respected and valued presence within the community—known not only for his experience and professionalism, but for his kindness, approachability, and genuine care for the people he serves,” the Select Board said in its statement. “In a small town like Mason, those qualities matter deeply, and they have earned him the trust and admiration of residents and colleagues alike.”
Fortin said his goal for the department is to be community-based.
“One of my goals as chief of police is to provide a safe and professional community. I want our police department to be dedicated to our community, to the town of Mason,” Fortin said. “I want the town to know that our officers are here to support and help you. We’re not here to cause problems with the general public, we’re here to help you.”
Fortin said public safety is a partnership that works best when there’s trust between the public and the police.
“I want my officers out in the street, introducing themselves, saying hi, and letting them know they’re real people. We’re out here as human beings, we want this town to be safe,” Fortin said.
He also committed to transparency and an “open-door policy.”
Fortin said one of his main priorities will be hiring. The department is budgeted for a total of six positions — two full-time, only one of which is filled right now, and four part-time, including the chief, of which Fortin is the only one currently.
“My goal is to try to fill as many positions as I’m able to, to get more officers in the field,” Fortin said. “I know a lot of police officers and have a lot of contacts, and hopefully they can lead me to some good candidates.”
Fortin said he was grateful to lead a department like Mason.
“It’s one of the few departments that you work in where people really respect and are glad to have you around,” Fortin said. “It’s such a small town, we don’t have a lot of crime, or a lot of strife, and we are more or less your neighbors.”