When Matt French is officially named Henniker’s police chief, only the title will be new for him and members of the community. For French, coming back to Henniker means coming home.
After spending 23 years with the Henniker Police Department – first as a part-time officer and then full-time starting in 1995 – French took a promotion as lieutenant in New Boston last summer.
But his tenure with New Boston police was short-lived once Henniker Chief Ryan Murdough told the select board in January that he was planning to retire, opening a lane for French to get back to Henniker.
“It’s nice to go home,” French said. “I grew up in Contoocook, but I really grew up in Henniker because I was 23 when I started there. It’s nice to go back with some things I want to put in place and have the chance to be that guy for a while.”
His short run in New Boston was not lost time. French said he saw things in that department that he would like to bring back to Henniker, particularly increasing and improving the department’s use of technology.
“New Boston is far and above (Henniker) in terms of technology, so I learned a lot,” French said. “Henniker is in the dark ages . . . and one of my big goals is to get the technology up to the 21st century.”
French would like to see laptops installed in the police cruisers, allowing officers to run a check during a traffic stop and enter a report without having to relay the information through dispatch.
“This is what Henniker really needs,” he said. “The time saved with those laptops is ridiculous. . . . If you do over 2,000 stops, that’s 2,000 the secretary needs to add in. With the laptop, it’s already there.”
Kris Blomback, chairman of the Henniker select board, said the town had more than 40 applicants to replace Murdough. The applicants were vetted by a hiring subcommittee formed in February and then interviewed by the select board.
“We had some very good choices,” Blomback said, adding that French “is acutely aware of the needs and desire of the town. He’s very familiar with the territory and knows the problematic areas.”
Another area French hopes to see improve is officer retention. But that is not just a problem Henniker, he said. It’s a national issue.
“No one wants to do the job anymore, and it’s difficult to attract full-time officers,” French said.
Murdough, the outgoing chief, joined Henniker police right about the same time as French in the early 1990s. After climbing the department ranks, he was appointed chief in 2009. Outside of police work, Murdough is a veteran in the Marine Corps and New Hampshire Army National Guard, having served in the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“The town is very sad to see Chief Murdough leave,” Blomback said. “We are very grateful for his years of service.”
French’s tenure as chief will go into effect Sunday. The department will hold a pinning ceremony for French at the Henniker Community Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3309, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)