Parent promoted to chief of police in Gilford

GILFORD — Deputy Chief Dustin Parent has been promoted to chief of the Gilford Police Department. He starts his new position June 14, at the beginning of a busy summer season.

A longtime member of the department, Parent said he's fortunate he's been in a position to work closely with his mentor, outgoing Chief Kris Kelley. Kelley recently accepted the position of town administrator, and starts in August.

“Chief Kelley has been an exceptional mentor, and has had succession planning at the agency, not just for me, but for the whole department,” Parent said.

The choice to promote Parent to chief was an easy one for town leaders, according to a prepared statement from Selectboard Chair Chan Eddy, noting the board was unanimous in the appointment. His promotion was also recommended by Kelley, as well as Town Administrator Scott Dunn, who will retire this summer.

“Dustin’s promotion to chief was well earned,” Eddy wrote. “My fellow selectmen and I have watched him closely over the years as he worked his way up the chain of command and we are confident that he is well-suited for the role of Chief of Police. We know that he shares our goals of holding the Gilford Police Department to the highest of standards and accountability.”

Parent lives in Gilford, with his wife, Leanna, and two daughters, Madi, 16, and Addy, 7 (going on 17, as Parent says). He grew up in Berlin, an old mill city about two hours north with a bit of a different dynamic than Gilford. He graduated from Berlin High School, and attended University of Southern Maine in Portland, where he spent two years studying criminology.

Parent came back to the Granite State where he worked part-time with the Loudon Police Department. Then, in 2003, at age 20, Parent was hired as a full-time patrol officer with Gilford Police, and finished his degree taking night classes at Hesser College, in Manchester. He worked his way up the ranks, including 10 years with the K-9 unit, before becoming a patrol sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and then deputy chief.

Notice of Parent’s promotion was sent Friday, just over a week after the town named Kelley the next town administrator.

During his time as deputy chief, Kelley's kept him in the loop on major department decisions, and he recognizes this isn’t always the case. He and Kelley both often attend selectboard meetings, and are visible around town at school and community events. Parent has also often worked as the department’s press contact.

For that reason, much of his role will remain the same, despite reaching the department’s top position.

“There is not a whole lot of change, other than steering the ship in the direction that it has been going,” Parent said. “It’s not quite so daunting, because I have been so involved. Not a lot of chiefs do that.”

Parent thinks he has a leg up due to this, and also because the agency is the best it's been since he started. While he said there will be small changes here and there, the progression of the department has been going as well as he could hope.

“Morale is good, we’re fully staffed and everyone is happy,” Parent said. “We are in a really good place.”

Family guidance

Law enforcement wasn’t something Parent always foresaw. Actually, the meat business runs in his family as his great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all butchers. He continues that legacy, and has operated The Butcher Shop & Smokehouse on Beacon Hill Road for the past six years.

“That’s something I can’t get rid of,” Parent said. “It’s in my blood.”

He worked at Shaw’s Supermarket for five years before police work, and thought the meat business was his future. Parent doesn’t have much law enforcement background in his family history, aside from his brother, David Noyes, a source of inspiration for him to shift gears.

Noyes is director of public safety for the Town of Waterville Valley, which includes the title of fire chief, and formerly held the role of police chief.

“My brother is a police officer, and is eight years older than me,” Parent said. “I always looked up to him. I thought what he was doing was making a difference, and I wanted to follow that.”

Parent thought the work his brother had done for years in Waterville Valley was commendable, and especially influential, coming from a sibling nearly a decade older.

“It was admirable,” Parent said. “He did a really good job being an older brother.

“I didn’t really know at the time, but he was telling me what I needed to hear. It was a no brainer for me.”

Noyes is a graduate of Norwich University, in Northfield, Vermont, and Parent credited the school with providing great mentors and leaders who helped his brother. This is something he passed along to Parent, who realized it years down the road.

“It is obvious now to me what he was doing,” Parent said. “He was doing a service to get me on the right path.”

Dynamic community size

Parent will start his new role just as the town picks up steam for the summer, notably at the start of Motorcycle Week, which begins a period of more than two months where the population can more than triple in size.

While this could be intimidating to some, Parent is coming up on 23 years with the department, and has seen these dynamics intersect with police work. Not only is the town located on Lake Winnipesaukee, but it neighbors Laconia, including one of the area’s top destinations: Weirs Beach.

It also has heavily traveled roadways, such as routes 11 and 3, and a bypass that connects communities with busy summer traffic.

Gilford is home to BankNH Pavilion, a 9,000-seat venue that brings in top musical acts from all across the country. The safety of people driving in and out of the venue, and in and out of town, is a big job for the department he will be running.

“Our main focus is trying to make sure that our full-time residents receive proper police service and standards, but also provide a standard as we swell from 7,500 to 25,000,” Parent said. “The goal is to keep a level of community service up, even during those influxes of people.”

Parent recognized those challenges, but having a full staff of 23 full-time officers certainly helps.

“We are in a good spot,” Parent said. “I’ve been exposed to all the duties, and what it is about to be the head of the agency.”

While Parent doesn’t expect to immediately fill the deputy chief position, there will be rank promotions that include the positions of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain, over the next few months.

Gilford's next chief has more than two decades of experience, replacing one who'd been with the department since 1999, and is retiring on June 30. Dunn is wrapping up his career, after spending the last 18 years leading Town Hall.

“When you look at other departments’ officers, you can count on one hand how many officers have stayed with an agency,” Parent said.

He said it's a rarity these days, to be in this situation, coming in at age 20 on patrol, and rounding out his career as chief at the same department.

“Not to sound like a Hallmark card, but it is honoring and humbling,” Parent said. “I remember walking in my first day with a 'Looney Tunes' tie, and now I’m the chief. Life is funny like that.”

Parent starts as chief June 14, and a swearing-in ceremony takes place at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 15, at Town Hall.