PLAINFIELD — An upcoming police chief departure will bring the department down to one staff member, as the town hopes to make the job appealing in a state that requires physical testing regardless of experience or position.
“This is why the state of New Hampshire is struggling with a shortage of police officers,” said Plainfield Police Chief Erik Gutsfeld. “The antiquated system is not working.”
Plainfield, with its population of 2,500 residents, is a relatively “low-volume” community when it comes to emergencies, said town administrator Steve Halleran. The town is prepared to offer its next police chief a near-$100,000 salary and full health benefits.
And yet, they don’t expect to garner much interest.
New Hampshire is the only state in the country that requires officers relocating from other states to pass a physical test that includes sit-ups, push-ups and a 1.5-mile run to be certified. Every officer in the state must pass the test every three years.
“The legislature has been unwilling to change it, for reasons I don’t fully understand,” Halleran said Friday by phone.
While Gutsfeld opted to resign after two years in Plainfield primarily due to relocating, he noted that recruitment and retention is a huge problem in New Hampshire.
Gutsfeld served 25 years as an officer in Connecticut before moving to New Hampshire. While he loved the small community in Plainfield — which he said has been nothing but supportive — some of the red tape made it harder to stick around as a law enforcement officer.
For instance, Gutsfeld’s pension in Connecticut was connected to a specific department, but in New Hampshire it’s statewide, allowing officers to move around. Plainfield struggles to compete with towns such as Lebanon and Hanover, which offer sign-on bonuses.
Gutsfeld was due to complete his physical test for certification, but failed the running portion by one minute. He felt that an experienced officer’s performance in a race does not speak to their ability to do the job. And further, the need to retest adds unnecessary stress and risk to an already difficult job.
“You’re going to risk an injury for an officer taking an agility test when there’s already a shortage of officers,” said Gutsfeld.
While Gutsfeld considers the academy a rite of passage for rookies, seasoned officers may be forced to retire due to missing the mark on an element of the test, even when they’re in otherwise excellent health, he said.
Being on the state border increases competition, too, Halleran said.
“A guy who can’t pass the test in New Hampshire can go across the river and work in Vermont as an officer tomorrow,” he said.
With Gutsfeld’s departure on Oct. 2, the Plainfield department will be down to only Sgt. Rob DePietro, a retired paramedic from Connecticut. Halleran described the full-time officer-in-charge as “incredibly loved and well respected” in the community.
Even with DePietro at full time, they’ll need some outside assistance.
“When you go to a one-person police department, what happens is you become very reactive,” Halleran said of the ability to patrol on top of responding to emergencies.
The town plans to tap either New Hampshire State Police or the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office for a temporary contract. They’d send an officer out to patrol for about $80 an hour, which Halleran said matched what they’d pay in employee costs.
State police will continue responding to dispatch calls as needed, with mutual aid typically available from Lebanon and Cornish police departments.
While the town doesn’t plan to start a formal hiring process yet, officials are interested in connecting with existing officers, said Halleran, whether for full- or part-time opportunities.
