Hancock Police Chief Tom Horne had what seemed a novel answer to a question at Saturday’s “Cookies with the Chief” session at Hancock Town Library. 

Harriet DiCicco asked how people should respond when they receive phone solicitations that seem to be a scam.

“Tell the person at the other end that you were on a bad line, and you want them to call you back on a landline. Then give them our phone number at the police,” Horne said. “After they've called us, they tend not to try again.” This answer elicited laughter as well as acknowledgments as to its logic.

The session was an hour-long opportunity for residents to pose questions to the chief regarding community and public safety. Horne was joined by Mike Eneguess, a police officer in Greenfield, who echoed concern regarding phone and online criminal scams.

“I'd say a week doesn't go by that I don't get a call from someone worried about a scam call. One time I was at a residence when a call came in, and I asked the resident to give me the phone,” Eneguess said. “I identified myself as being with the Greenfield police. For some reason, the person at the other end hung up right away.”

Questions for Horne and Eneguess ranged from the possible consolidation of area police forces to school safety. The prospect of neighboring towns of Bennington, Greenfield, and Hancock exploring some configuration of combining their forces has emerged in recent months, and Horne was asked how this will proceed.

“The next step would be a steering committee in the town which should create a survey for the community, asking what it expects from our police department. That information should inform a plan to move forward. A report from the committee ought to be released before the next Town Meeting.”

Asked why consolidation was being considered, Horne mentioned a reality echoed by many area police departments.

“Our biggest challenge is staffing, " he said. “I've been here for four years, and we've been shorthanded for all but three months of that time.”

Horne said that Lisbon did a consolidation study that resulted in a 78-page report, so there are resources that communities can consult when considering this step, adding that the state attorney general’s office must ultimately approve of any consolidation. He noted that staffing is an issue beyond the local level, explaining that the Nashua police force is down 20 officers from its ideal level and that the New Hampshire State Police are short 70 officers. 

He offered a point of information about small towns.

“Because we have less than 2,000 people, as is the case with any town in New Hampshire under that level, the State Police can have jurisdiction in the case of an incident. In the case of our town, the Select Board decided to have a police force, yet the state may come into investigate a matter,” he said.

Adding that State Police response time from the closest barracks in Manchester could be 40 minutes, Horne said that this can pose challenges.

Asked for reasons for the current staffing issues, Horne offered several.

“Younger people are seeking a better work-life balance for their careers, and law enforcement honestly doesn't offer that; we work crazy hours,”  he said, also noting that the pandemic gave rise to another factor. “With COVID, the idea of working remotely from home became popular. You can't do that in law enforcement.” 

Horne added that the families of law enforcement officers make great sacrifices as well.

Referencing a recent reduction in the force, Horne said that the town was outbid by the Cheshire County Sheriff's Department, which former Hancock officer James Geeney recently joined. Noting that he hopes to remain in his position for the decade ahead, Horne said that this reality obviously limits chances for advancement among others on the force.

Dan Harper, Hancock's representative to the ConVal School Board, asked about protocols for school safety.

“I think we are trained far better than some other states,” said Horne.

Eneguess echoed this point, referencing communication between their departments following the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in 2022.

“Within hours of that event, we were talking about training for such an incident,” said Horne. “We have an incident command strategy in place. I'm not going to offer the details of it, and I hope I never have to use that training.”

Another question referenced police responding to incidents spawned by mental health issues. Eneguess and Horne agreed that calls involving people in crisis or with mental health issues are the largest percentage of what they're asked to respond to, adding that there are rapid response teams at area hospitals, including Monadnock Community Hospital, to assist with such matters. 

Traffic management was another topic at the session, and one question referenced the case of a motorist passing a stopped school bus. 

“Drivers are losing perspective within their very comfortable vehicles, which distract them from what's around them,” Horne said. “School bus drivers are the only operators who can report a traffic infraction that is actionable by police.

Horne explained that if a school bus driver gets a plate number for a certain driver infraction, the police respond accordingly.

“Passing a stopped school bus is an automatic $600 fine,” Horne said.

Toward the end of the hour, resident David Carney offered a caution regarding the prospect of towns consolidating their forces.

“If we consolidate police departments, disengaging from any arrangement must remain an option," Carney said. He referenced the Francestown and Dublin initiatives to withdraw from the ConVal School District as an example of how not all such arrangements are perpetually appealing to everyone.

Horne said that he would like to have such meetings with the public on a quarterly basis, and had kind words to say about his force.

"We're  small, but we're professional,” he said.