Signs of controversy surrounding the appointment of a new police chief are sprouting up in Webster.
Blue campaign-like posters reading “Shapiro for Police Chief” have popped up on 80 or so lawns in town. The signs support Webster police Officer Daniel Shapiro and have generated complaints by residents and at least one selectman.
There is no actual election for the next police chief, and the names of those under consideration for the position haven’t officially been released. Various letters to the Webster Grapevine support interim police Chief Phil Mitchell, while the signs are generating buzz for Shapiro.
“The choice of the new police chief is a big decision,” select board Chairman Bruce Johnson wrote in an email. “The Select Board needs to get this right. That’s why we are taking our time. Most people who contact me share their thoughts, and then tell me they trust the select board to do the right thing. I am confident the three of us will be able to do just that. We will work together and make the best decision for the best interest of the town.”
The future of the police department has come up before and is back again, especially since Chief Robert Dupuis resigned from his part-time position in February. Dupuis was collecting a $50,000 annual pension on top of the salary he was paid in Webster because of his part-time status.
The town’s next police chief will be full-time, following the recommendation of a committee that was formed in late 2015 and a warrant article passed at town meeting 2015. Meanwhile, in Canterbury, two towns over, the select board has eight applications for a part-time police chief. The position is expected to be filled by someone collecting a pension for the New Hampshire Retirement System, which can save the town money while boosting the total compensation for the chief.
In Webster, the application window for the full-time position closed March 23, and according to April meeting minutes, the select board has been meeting and interviewing candidates since then.
“The select board met with some candidates,” Johnson said at the last board meeting. “We are looking at their credentials. We are working toward finding a solution with the best interest of the town in mind. We are looking at all options. This will take some time. We are moving forward, but we are taking our time to get this right.”
Still, Shapiro signs are spreading.
“Before town meeting, a couple of people approached me about putting some signs up supporting a police officer in town for the police chief,” Webster Moderator Bob Pearson said. He said he suggested those people wait until after town meeting.
“This is the extent of my involvement on these signs posted around town,” Pearson said. “I’m out of this thing.”
Pearson’s brother, John Pearson, is one of the residents who has a Shapiro sign on his lawn. But Bob Pearson said that’s a First Amendment right.
“I don’t see that it’s a problem,” he said.
Johnson said people are talking around town about the signs and what they mean.
“What I have heard is that residents have talked with people at the town hall, and have asked if there is an election coming up,” Johnson wrote in an email. “Other residents have talked to me directly, and have shared their displeasure.”
Bob Pearson tried to address the subject at last week’s select board meeting, but board members declined to discuss it.
“I guess because it was regarding the signs and I guess because it’s not a board issue, you can make a statement about it, but we can’t address it,” Selectwoman Nanci Schofield said at the meeting.
Johnson said it was not a select board issue, even though one board member called Pearson about it.
“Well, you were contacted by one select board member, you were not contacted by anyone representing the select board,” he said. “We’re not going to discuss the issue of the signs.”
Selectman Mike Borek, who called Pearson about the signs, attended the meeting by phone.
“I might have said something, and I’m sorry about it,” he said.
Pearson said issues with the police department go back to the 2012 town meeting, when he advocated for the department to be eliminated from the budget.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been labeled and my family’s been labeled and the people on this side of the fence have been labeled that we don’t want any police department, which is not true,” Pearson said.
He said he wanted to zero out the budget line in order to start a new police force from scratch after hearing concerns from neighbors and other residents about the department.
In 2012 and today, Pearson said he thinks the town could spend less money on its law enforcement and could do a better job of holding officers accountable.
“There’s got to be a balance here,” he said. “Every town has issues with their police department. The question is: How do you solve them?”
During that town meeting four years ago, the article to eliminate the police department was narrowly defeated. Pearson was also elected moderator.
Since then, he’s tried to stay out of the political mix, he said.
“I’m on the outside looking in,” Pearson said.
In the meantime, the signs for Shapiro continue to be posted around town.
Gordon Welch is one of those people who has a sign on his front lawn and feels it should never have become a big deal.
“Why are people upset? There are signs all over the place – vote for Hillary, vote for Trump – there shouldn’t be a problem,” Welch said. He estimated there were about 80 Shapiro signs in town.
He said he personally put up his to show his support for Shapiro becoming the next police chief.
“He’s a great fit for the community,” Welch said.
He added: “I would like to see the select board make a decision. The longer they wait, the more politics that will arise.”