Bow Police Chief Margaret Lougee is retiring effective May 1, the Town of Bow announced Friday.
Lougee has served as chief of police for four years and has been a part of the department for 25. The announcement comes on the heels of internal department divisions which led to an extenal review of the town’s police force that came to light in December.
“My experience as an officer with this department for the past 25 years, 10 as a school resource officer, and the past 4 years as chief has been extremely rewarding for me,” Lougee said. “I gave my all.”
Lougee was the town’s first full-time female police officer when she joined the department after a 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force. She said that she wrote her retirement letter “with a heavy heart.”
“Bow will always be my ‘home town’ no matter where my travels lead me,” Lougee added.
This summer, 10 of 11 officers in the department sent a “vote of no confidence” letter to the board of selectmen, detailing their complaints against Lougee and requesting that she be placed on administrative leave.
The concerns of the nearly all-male police force included that Lougee had put together haphazard department policies and provided few trainings for officers; that she had overridden the ability of sergeants and lieutenants to issue written reprimands against other officers; and that she did not listening to feedback or concerns, which led to a drop in morale among staff/
Following the receipt of the July 13 letter, the town commissioned an external review of the department by Municipal Resources, Inc (MRI). The MRI review was not released despite right-to-know requests, but a letter sent from MRI to the town’s law firm summarizing the findings of its own report was made public.
The report summary did not recommend disciplinary action against Lougee or other officers. At one point it praised Lougee for being “widely recognized for her ability to build coalitions in the community.”
Town manager David Stack said Lougee’s retirement comes as a surprise.
“She’s done a great job, we’ll really miss her,” he said.
In the town’s announcement of her retirement, Lougee was praised for her service and especially for her 10 years as the town’s school resource officer.
“Serving the community has always been Margaret’s top priority. Her primary mission has been to ensure the safety of all employees, residents, businesses, and property in the Town of Bow,” the announcement said. “She has been very active in the community for all of her life and she has willingly provided her time, talent, and energy to supporting the community and making it a great place to live.”
Stack said that the town would look to both outside candidates and applicants from within the department to hire a new chief.