ATKINSON— Selectmen announced this morning the firing of longtime police chief Phil Consentino.
Town Administrator Bill Innes released a statement from the Board of Selectmen saying they took the action at a meeting Wednesday night.
Selectmen said Consentino’s dismissal was “for cause,” job related and followed an independent investigation.
The dismissal came a day after Consentino announced he would be retiring.
Selectmen said they would have no further comment on the dismissal.
Sgt. Patrick Caggiano will take over as acting police chief immediately. Innes will be the town’s acting director of elderly affairs.
Town Administrator Bill Innes released a statement from the Board of Selectmen saying they took the action at a meeting Wednesday night.
Selectmen said Consentino’s dismissal was “for cause,” job related and followed an independent investigation.
The dismissal came a day after Consentino announced he would be retiring.
Selectmen said they would have no further comment on the dismissal.
Sgt. Patrick Caggiano will take over as acting police chief immediately. Innes will be the town’s acting director of elderly affairs.
41 comments:
By JAMES A. KIMBLE
and JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent
ATKINSON - Selectmen terminated Police Chief Philip Consentino with cause during a non-public session Wednesday night, ending the career of one of the longest-serving police chiefs in New Hampshire.
Consentino, 72, had announced his retirement in an email to town officials earlier this week, but the town revealed Thursday morning that the chief, who served 45 years on the department, was placed on administrative leave Feb. 5 from his role as chief and director of elderly affairs.
“The termination is effective immediately,” town administrator Bill Innes said in a press release. “Mr. Consentino is no longer a town employee.”
Selectmen placed Consentino on leave in the wake of “an investigation of a personnel matter by an independent consulting firm,” Innes said.
The town did not provide any details about the issue.
“After review of the report completed by this independent consultant, the board determined that terminating Mr. Consentino from his town positions was appropriate,” Innes said in the released statement.
He said that because the termination relates to Consentino’s employment, “it is confidential and will be kept confidential.”
Selectmen named police Sgt. Pat Caggiano as the town’s acting police chief.
Caggiano, a longtime veteran of the Plaistow police department, joined Atkinson’s police force within the last year. Innes was appointed by selectmen as the acting director of elderly affairs.
“We have no further comment at this time,” Innes said.
Consentino served as police chief for 35 years but was a member of the department for 45.
In his letter announcing his retirement issued before he was fired, Consentino said he planned to step down April 2.
“It is with sincere regret that due to some past and present health issues and this weekend's stay in the hospital I am retiring from both the police chief’s position and as the town’s director of elderly affairs,” Consentino wrote in a letter addressed to selectmen.
Consentino’s lawyer, Mark Giarrusso, said he hasn’t seen the report from the independent consultant but was surprised to learn that selectmen chose to fire him Wednesday night.
“I don’t know what the town is doing here. He’s been talking about retiring for some time and over the past week he made it clear to them that he was going to retire,” Giarrusso said, adding that Consentino is a “good guy” and that it was “time for him to move on.”
By JAMES A. KIMBLE
and JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent
ATKINSON - Selectmen terminated Police Chief Philip Consentino with cause during a non-public session Wednesday night, ending the career of one of the longest-serving police chiefs in New Hampshire.
Consentino, 72, had announced his retirement in an email to town officials earlier this week, but the town revealed Thursday morning that the chief, who served 45 years on the department, was placed on administrative leave Feb. 5 from his role as chief and director of elderly affairs.
“The termination is effective immediately,” town administrator Bill Innes said in a press release. “Mr. Consentino is no longer a town employee.”
Selectmen placed Consentino on leave in the wake of “an investigation of a personnel matter by an independent consulting firm,” Innes said.
The town did not provide any details about the issue.
“After review of the report completed by this independent consultant, the board determined that terminating Mr. Consentino from his town positions was appropriate,” Innes said in the released statement.
He said that because the termination relates to Consentino’s employment, “it is confidential and will be kept confidential.”
Selectmen named police Sgt. Pat Caggiano as the town’s acting police chief.
Caggiano, a longtime veteran of the Plaistow police department, joined Atkinson’s police force within the last year. Innes was appointed by selectmen as the acting director of elderly affairs.
“We have no further comment at this time,” Innes said.
Consentino served as police chief for 35 years but was a member of the department for 45.
In his letter announcing his retirement issued before he was fired, Consentino said he planned to step down April 2.
“It is with sincere regret that due to some past and present health issues and this weekend's stay in the hospital I am retiring from both the police chief’s position and as the town’s director of elderly affairs,” Consentino wrote in a letter addressed to selectmen.
Consentino’s lawyer, Mark Giarrusso, said he hasn’t seen the report from the independent consultant but was surprised to learn that selectmen chose to fire him Wednesday night.
“I don’t know what the town is doing here. He’s been talking about retiring for some time and over the past week he made it clear to them that he was going to retire,” Giarrusso said, adding that Consentino is a “good guy” and that it was “time for him to move on.”
Giarrusso said he didn’t know whether Consentino planned to appeal the termination.
In his retirement letter, Consentino wrote, “It has been a great 45 years and I feel confident in retiring at this time due to the great police force I have put together over the past several years, and the terrific guys that work for the Elderly Affairs Department.”
Selectman Fred Childs, board chairman, said Wednesday that selectmen had not received the letter from Consentino announcing his retirement.
“He never sent us anything official. He hasn’t said anything,” Childs said.
While some have praised Consentino for his dedication to the town, he has also been a lightning rod for controversy. He grabbed national headlines in 2003 when he tried to crack down on Massachusetts residents traveling over the border to trick-or-treat in his town on Halloween.
His dual role as police chief and elderly affairs director also came under attack over the years with some pushing to have elderly affairs removed from the police department.
Ethical questions also arose when he was elected selectman in 2003 while also serving as police chief and elderly affairs director.
In his letter, Consentino said he has been pleased with the support he and his family have received from the town and its residents.
He said the greatest part of his job was developing what he believes is one of the best senior citizen programs in southern New Hampshire.
With retirement approaching, Consentino wrote, “I look forward to working on my health problems, working around my farm and spending more time with my family.”
Derry Police Chief Ed Garone said Consentino will be missed.
Garone is another law enforcement veteran who will have served 41 years as chief on June 1 and is the longest-serving full-time chief still in the position.
“He and I are of similar vintage. I’ll miss that at meetings and not having a comrade of similar seniority there,” Garone said.
Garone has worked with Consentino over the years and described him as a chief who was always “straightforward” with people.
“You didn’t worry where he came from,” Garone said. “If he had an opinion he wasn’t afraid to share it.”
Mark Acciard was right the whole time. MARK ACCIARD WAS RIGHT AND PEOPLE IGNORED HIM!!
LONG LIVE MARK ACCIARD!!!!
Mark I apologize for not listening to you and believing you. I feel awful. You were right the whole time.
He had the vendetta, not you. YOUR good name got smeared. Forever, his name is now mud. There goes the statue we were going to erect......LOL
Mark is a good man.
Well finally justice served, I think search warrants are in order.
My O my. What is a blog to do when its chief (no pun intended) whipping boy is finally full time with his cows.
Not that it matters much. For all words that have been posted here on the subject the blog can continue on secure in the knowledge it had zero, nada, zip influence in what just happened. Same could be said for any town matter.
Continue the good work Moderator. Or, if you are so connected, give us the real story.
Question to be answered..... If the now former chief was placed on leave for reasons of conduct, morality, ethics,etc. on Feb.5th and terminated wednesday Feb, 27th is he entitled to retirement pay? /// Did he put his retirement papers in prior or between those two dates. If his retirement papers say it was before Feb.5th you can assume a deal was made as a way to get him out of office as chief. The firing of the chief is long in coming and the towns people should know what the reason was for firing him. /// Now that there is another chief to be appointed I agree with an earlier posting that said to not appoint from within but from outside the town . This appointee shouldn't be a member of the APD or Plaistow's police department.
He was part time. And, he was fired. No Retirement.
The retirement was the chief's spin along with the health issues. He knew the hammer was coming down so he speed dialed the Tribune to get "his" story out before the real one.
Retirement papers must be filed in hard copy form. Childs said he never saw any retirement papers. EMAIL doesn't count, whether he read it or not.
Another chief has not been appointed. There is an "acting" chief, along with an "acting" head of Elderly Affairs.
Unless this whole thing makes it into the criminal justice system the BOS is under no obligation to give the details.
Two words in case any of the BOS should bother coming here: Forensic Accountant.
I wonder how many people will now feel free to come forward with their chief stories? I have a great one, but have been too scared to make it known publicly, for fear of reprisals. Perhaps I can, soon...
We look forward to hearing it.
Also, has anyone noticed how people keep coming forward, more each year, year after year?
This blog has helped bring the corruption into the open.
This blog was instrumental in achieving this goal..tgat and Mark Acciard.
Leon Artus said:
If anyone has past evidence regarding abuse by Chief Consentino, I would like to hear them. I would like to hear about that abuse especially if selectmen knew about it and did nothing with the complaint. You can call me at 603-362-4814 or email me at lartus@aol.com. I will respect your privacy while fighting for your rights.
I think Lynne Cunningham needs the help. She has done what no one before her could do, get rid of it.
That said, Lynne should sue the Town and the Consentino for this and then reveal what the Sheriff has already revealed to so many that this has become the main rumor.
Go for it Lynne. We can pay out of the insurance, take a long leave with your family and enjoy.
The best thing that coyuld happen now is complete disclosure.
So what and who voted to keep this vote anon? The vote had to be in public.... anyone watch Wed. mtg? Maybe we need to get rid of a few BOS too.
Agreeable 9:10, can't wait to hear the from the people who come forward on all corruption in this small little town. I'm writing a book.
"This blog has helped bring the corruption into the open.
This blog was instrumental in achieving this goal."
Please, tell me, what specific action that was announced in this blog had any effect on any town decision? And I'm specifically referring to AR2.
AR1 did have impact. Sapia getting caught in a lie on TV over the blog signs was classic. AR2 - Sorry, got nothing.
For a blog such as this to have an impact it has to provide good, original information. The moderator has failed at every attempt and I strongly suspect readership is a fraction of what AR1 had.
What is even more worrisome, the moderator has shown he tracks IP addresses, which means he's tracking you. In some cases just Googling an IP address will put up a map showing where you live. Not so anonymous is it?
Why am I doing this if he can track me? I wish him luck. My IP address right now is 85.17.188.139. According to Google, "85.17.188.139 IP, the IP Address is connected to LeaseWeb whose location is Netherlands."
When this place starts publishing accurate information we don't already know, then it will have relevance. It will also help to know the moderator is not keeping a list of who come here.
Leon, it's 2013 buddy. Might be time to get rid of AOL. Just saying.
The BOD should have done this years ago. They are just CYA big time. I hope this comes back to their negligence and bites them in the butt. Good people over the years got smeared by this crook.
To Frank February 28, 2013 at 10:07 PM
Yes, that is your IP address and you were coming in thru Amsterdam.
Were you are wrong is that we are not tracking everyone, just those who need to be tracked. AR2 has had an impact, it did not give up and it published videos of you that led to your downfall. Have a nice day. Too bad you have to go thru so much trouble to come on here.
No trouble. And the name is not Frank. And and the videos started on AR1. His downfall was of his own making. If you think AR2 helped you are deluding yourself.
Whether your tracking is for the good of blog or not, it is still tracking and I think those who express their opinions here need to know that.
If we choose to go on someone else's blog, why does the blog owner owe us any explanation about anything? He doesn't. No one is owed anything and if they don't like it, they can go somewhere else. Why not start your own blog?
AR1 and AR2 are the same blog moron. After it was hacked, it was just revamped. Go away.
Getting a little testy are we?
"AR1 and AR2 are the same blog moron."
WRONG - I refer you to the first line at the beginning of blog: "Welcome to the NEW Atkinson Reporter! Under new management, with new resolve." I know who ran AR1, and it certainly isn't the clown running it now.
I'm not quite sure about the resolve. Its mostly been reprints of Tribune articles.
Earlier I asked a simple question. What has been said here resulted in action by the town?
raid his house and office
If Jody is still at the PD, she can raid the office.
I think Jodie is a bitter woman! Will she return to the PD? I guess the only ones who know live on the Hilltop.
Jody Jody, you are a very nice woman and I feel so bad for you. You have nothing to do with this and it will be ahrd to show your face in town
Hopefully the new chief will take care of the old problem. CATS! The cat lady has been hoarding them now there running the streets.
Now that Jordon Shallow has lost the Conman as his protector, perhaps the new chief will finally put Mr. Shallow behind bars where he belongs.
Put in Jail? Yes, and his little CAT TOO!
What about all the police equipment he has in his home command center? Will the selectmen get all that back or will they let him keep it?
How about his badge and gun? Was he allowed to keep those too?
Who is the cat lady?
What about that green car he drove with the dog hanging out of the window barking all over town, I swear I can see that in the driveway too. Was this part of a severence plan?
I think we should leave Jody out of this.
He should have to turn in his gun and badge. That goes for Bennett too.
Go away Frank.
frank is not going anywhere he is here to stay.
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The word stalking is used, with some differing meanings, in psychology and psychiatry and also in some legal jurisdictions as a term for a criminal offense.
If one goes to the place of another and is unwelcome yet returns, he is stalking.
March 2, 2013
Correction
Anonymous The Eagle-Tribune The Eagle Tribune Sat Mar 02, 2013, 12:11 AM EST
Due to a reporting error, the attorney representing the town of Atkinson was misidentified in Thursday’s New Hampshire edition of The Eagle-Tribune as Sumner Kalman. The town’s attorney is Tom Fay.
Since when?
Maybe another mistake by the Tribune.
Sumner Kalman is the town's attorney for reasonable legal affairs.
Tom Fay is the "big" legal guy the town has retained in the past when S. Kalman's abilities wouldn't cut it.
I can only assume that Kalman is still the town attorney but Fay is handling this big mess.
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