Help Wanted -- at your local police department. Law enforcement agencies nationwide say they're having a hard time hiring. Among the reasons: high stress, lower salaries, and what some in the profession see as diminished public image. We'll hear from law enforcement leaders from around the Granite State on this challenge -- and on what they're doing to help fill their ranks.
Air date: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019.
GUESTS:
Franklin Chief of Police David Goldstein has been a police officer for almost 40 years and has extensive education and training in mental health issues.
Tom Jackman has covered crime and the courts for The Washington Post since 1998. He was the lead writer for The Post’s breaking news coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings, which won the Pulitzer Prize. In 2016, he launched the True Crimeblog, which covers crime, policing, and the courts.
Lieutenant Brian Kenney has worked for the Nashua Police Department for more than 17 years, most recently in the Detective Bureau, where he oversaw the Narcotics Division. He recently joined the Professional Standards Bureau, which focuses on recruiting and training new officers as well as overseeing accreditation.
Michael F. Raymond is Professor of Criminal Justice and chair of the Criminal Justice Department at NHTI - Concord's Community College. He also worked for about 20 years as a police officer in Derry.
Related Reading
The Washington Post's Tom Jackman's Dec. 2018 pieceexploring what has contributed to a decline in job applications at most U.S. police departments.
NPR's Martin Kaste reportson America's growing shortage of police officers.
USA Today reports: Desperate for recruits, more police department are considering non-citizens with legal status.
Some recent newson N.H. police includes a meeting among the state's police officers and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen who is calling for more mental-health services for police after the death of Nashua Police Captian Jonathan Lehto who died by suicide in September.
Please note: If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
You can find additional mental health resources in New Hampshire from the N.H. National Alliance on Mental Illness website.
