3 join ranks of Belmont Police Department, 1 promoted

BELMONT — In an act of commitment to the community at large, three new officers were sworn into service for the Belmont Police Department, and Lt. Evan Boulanger was promoted to captain after 17 years.

A swearing-in ceremony was held Dec. 1, with family, friends, colleagues and town leaders in attendance.

Mike MacFadzen, formerly of the Belknap County Restorative Justice Program, joins the ranks at BPD as the school resource officer, overseeing all four schools in the Shaker Regional School District. Primarily, MacFadzen will supervise Belmont Middle School and Belmont High School, while still providing a presence at Canterbury Elementary School and Belmont Elementary School.

“He’s certainly got some experience behind him. Most recently he was in charge of Restorative Justice,” said Police Chief Stephen Akerstrom in a phone interview. “It’s right up his alley to be that liaison between us, the community and the schools.”

Earlier this year, MacFadzen entered a bid for a Laconia Ward 1 City Council seat currently held by Bruce Cheney, but was defeated by Jon Hildreth.

Also joining the department as patrol officers are Sara Walsh and Matthew Hurley, both eager to get started on the force. They will complete their required training, with Hurley currently going through field training with BPD. He’s slated to begin the police academy next month. Walsh will soon begin her own field training before entering the academy.

“As far as training goes, when we have the ability to hire someone certified, there’s far less training, but we understand that we can’t always hire certified people. So finding the right person to get started in this career can be a challenge,” Akerstrom said. “We have found two here who are pretty dedicated to doing their job.”

And the department congratulated Boulanger in a pinning ceremony officially promoting him to captain. Having recently attended the FBI National Academy, Boulanger has demonstrated his leadership skills and desire to grow in a professional capacity.

“I think he’s put forth the effort to attend the trainings needed to be able to continue his career. [FBI National Academy] is the pinnacle of training for a law enforcement officer. He did well with that,” said Akerstrom.

Boulanger was pinned by his son during the gathering last week.

“I show up everyday and just try to do my job. It was a nice Christmas surprise,” he said.

Despite the department’s recent hiring spell, Belmont Police are still actively recruiting new patrol officers, and happy not to compromise on quality.

“We took a hit with recruitment, and agencies like ours didn’t want to bend standards,” Boulanger said. “It’s nice to see qualified [individuals] coming back.”

To learn more about openings at the Belmont Police Department, visit belmontnh.gov.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.