Published: 12/05/2007
Police department lauded for work By Jennifer Solis Correspondent
WEST NEWBURY - Acting Police Chief Lisa Holmes and selectmen recognized several members of the Police Department in a report to selectmen on Monday.
Selectmen Chairman Glenn Kemper, acknowledging the work of all members of the force, gave particular praise to Reserve Police Officers Robert Bishop and Jim Riley for stepping up to complete several pressing tasks for the public safety department.
Bishop has led an effort to establish an ID program for fire, police and dispatchers that required photographing and documenting all public safety employees. He was also instrumental in getting the new administrative cruiser into service last Thursday by equipping it with wiring for lights and radios. The Board of Fire Engineers donated a fire radio for the vehicle.
Riley has assumed the Harbormaster role, attending monthly meetings of the North Shore Harbor Masters Association and overseeing the harbor patrol boat's removal from the Merrimack River and storage for the season.
Holmes recognized Sgt. Jeffrey Durand, who recently participated in a background investigation certification program in Braintree
He also attended a conference to learn more about the state certification process. Certification, a self-initiated evaluation in which police departments strive to meet and maintain professional standards, involves compliance with 151 mandatory criteria set by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
Durand also assisted Holmes in holding an assessment test from which the chief hopes to find candidates to fill two reserve officer spots and one full-time officer position. Out of the 24 letters sent by Holmes soliciting participation, 17 applicants sat for the test. Results should be available in two weeks.
Officer Royster Johnson participated in a conference sponsored by the Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association on detective investigation and interview techniques; and Officer Barry Coker recently received certification in sexual assault Investigations. He represented West Newbury in a meeting of the Crisis Center High Risk Team. Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs were run for seventh- and eighth-graders at Pentucket Regional Middle School, led by Officer Joy Fleck. She is working with the school on a criminal justice program and the annual field trip to the Middleton Jail. Holmes conducted a Bully Prevention Presentation at the school as well.
Fleck is redesigning and updating the department's Web page.
"She's made a lot of progress, but there's still a lot of work to go before it is up and running," Holmes said.
The department received training on hunting regulations from the state environmental police. Police have received numerous complaints over the past several weeks, resulting in four or five hunting violation citations. Selectman Dick Cushing asked Holmes to remind her officers to be judicious when dealing with the public on this issue.
Holmes also reported that as part of the Highway Safety Grant, the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau is offering the department $3,000 for equipment. Holmes will use the money to purchase a Decatur Genesis II radar system for one cruiser and for a new preliminary breath test device.
Posted by: DeputyFife
Published: 12/11/2007
Holmes appointed police chief
By Jennifer Solis
Correspondent
WEST NEWBURY - The Board of Selectmen unanimously appointed Lisa Holmes as the town's full-time police chief last night, pending successful contract negotiations. Holmes, who attended the meeting with Sgt. Jeff Durand, has been serving as acting police chief since September.
She replaced former police Chief Jonathon Dennis, who took early retirement when he was offered a job as police chief in South Hampton.
No outside search was conducted by selectmen for a replacement. The appointment places Holmes in rare company - less than 2 percent of police departments statewide are run by women.
The board began the meeting with a moment of silence in recognition of the recent passing of Kenneth Fowler, a lieutenant on the Fire Department who died suddenly on Thursday. Selectman Glenn Kemper thanked the fire chief, Board of Fire Engineers, police chief and community for their strong support of the Fowler family during this difficult time.
Then Selectman John McGrath made a motion, seconded by his colleague Dick Cushing, to appoint Holmes to the full-time police chief spot.
Holmes began as a reserve officer for the town in 1983 and was made sergeant in 1991. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice and earned a Jurist Doctorate in Law in 1990, passing the bar exam in 2000.
Since accepting the acting chief's position, Holmes has made monthly reports to selectmen on improvements she is making to the Police Department. Selectmen Chairman Glenn Kemper noted at a meeting last month that, by all accounts, support in community for the job Holmes is doing appears to be quite strong.
In November, Holmes filed a bias suit against Dennis, claiming, among other charges, that he discriminated against her, violated her civil rights, humiliated her in front of her fellow officers and made sexually inappropriate jokes. She is the only female on the force. Selectmen are also named in the suit because Holmes alleges that they failed to investigate her complaints. She is seeking $2,500 in lost wages due to not being promoted to lieutenant and more than $18,000 in legal fees.
Posted by: OutOfManyOne
So they made her Chief out of fear. Great.
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