Atkinson police lose another officer

From the Eagle Tribune;

August 11, 2011
Atkinson police lose another officer
By Cara Hogan
chogan@eagletribune.com

ATKINSON — Another officer is leaving the Atkinson Police Department, leaving the dwindling force at just three full-time officers. Police Chief Philip Consentino has been out on medical leave since June 14.

Today is Officer Justin Paquette's last day at the department. Detective Sgt. Philip Farrar said Paquette, a Haverhill, Mass., resident, is leaving for a new job and a bigger paycheck at the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council.

"He's been here for 10 years," Farrar said. "He's been working midnights the last few years."

The police department started the year with five full-time officers. Lt. William Baldwin left for Plaistow in May. Paquette's departure leaves just three full-time officers.

"One of the three officers left has applied to another department and we anticipate him leaving by Sept. 1," Farrar said yesterday. "It's not a done deal yet, but we expect to be down to two officers. We're losing people and, right now, there's no process being begun to replace anyone. We're using part-time officers to cover any open shifts and there will be some mandated shifts and overtime."

Farrar has been covering for Consentino while he recovers from heart surgery, putting his own planned retirement on hold.

"The chief is still not back, so I'm doing my original job as detective and the lieutenant's job and the chief's job," Farrar said. "I was waiting for the chief to come back, but I don't know when he'll be allowed to come back. I'm certainly not going to abandon the department."

Consentino had been doing some paperwork from home, but selectmen sent him a letter last month, directing him to stop any police work until he was OK'd to return to full duty. The chief said he believed selectmen were threatening his job, although board members rejected that idea.

Police can't hire replacements for Baldwin or Paquette until the town has completed an independent study of the department by Municipal Resources Inc., which is looking at how the department is run.

"There is still a hiring freeze the selectmen have put in place until the MRI study is completed, and then we can consider hiring," Farrar said. "But the study is apparently on hold. The MRI people asked to speak the chief because he's the only one they haven't talked to yet, but he isn't allowed to do any police work."

Selectmen's Chairman William Bennett said the town is hoping to get Consentino back on the job as quickly as possible to start hiring a replacement for Paquette.

"We are trying to get the chief back on the job and let him do the hiring," Bennett said. "We don't want to do the hiring ourselves."

Until then, he said, the town has an arrangement with the Rockingham County Sheriff's Department to back up the department with more officers if necessary.

"MRI can't finish their study until they've talked to the chief and we're trying to get him back quickly," Bennett said. "If there were some reason why he couldn't return for some extended period of time, we'd have to reassess our approach. But I don't foresee that happening."

Town Manager Philip Smith said the department still has enough officers to cover shifts adequately.

"The police department has several part-time officers and still has two of the three patrol officers," he said. "The town is adequately protected. There has been only one vacancy, Baldwin, who did not have a patrol shift. The additional vacancy is a full-time patrol officer, which can be covered with our part-time officers until filled."

But Farrar said he's worried.

"Right now, we're good; we've anticipated this first departure," he said. "But, come September, if this other officer does in fact get this job, that will open up another can of worms. We'll deal with that when we get there."

He said he hopes Consentino will return soon and they can begin to hire new officers.