Police say recruits are harder to come by

LACONIA – His knees slightly bent, Noah Beaulieu pointed his Glock 17 down a school corridor where people had been shot.

The 24-year-old Army veteran, who is in training to become a Laconia police officer, was participating in a simulation that could prepare him for a situation he hopes never to see in real life.

His pistol was not loaded and the school hallway was on a movie screen. A gas cartridge cycled the handgun’s action. The barrel emitted a beam marking where the shots went. 

Beaulieu’s difficult goal was to neutralize a school shooter without harming civilians or getting shot himself.

The young man is coveted in law enforcement; a highly qualified, motivated person with a good background who wants to become a police officer.

The city police department is budgeted to have 42 officers, but recruiting challenges have left it three short of full staffing.

Such shortages have been typical in recent years as cities around the state and nation struggle to attract candidates who can pass testing, training and background requirements. A tight job market and changes in the public perception of police work also present challenges.

Beaulieu, who is from Connecticut and has an uncle who is a sheriff’s deputy, recently finished a 3-year stint in the infantry. He is drawn to the community service aspect of policing, which is a major emphasis in Laconia.

“I always like being that guy that other people can rely on,” he said during a break in training. “I feel like any one of my friends would say they could call on me at three in the morning to help them change a tire. I would like to be able to extend that to everyone.”

Transitioning from the military life to civilian law enforcement is challenging.

“In the military, you know it’s pretty much, ‘That’s the bad guy, go get him.’ But with policing, it’s been drilled into me here you’re responsible for every bullet you fire,” Beaulieu said.

“So even if you get the bad guy, if you accidentally shot someone in the leg or the arm or, heaven forbid, killed someone, you’re responsible for that too.”

Lean and over 6-feet tall, Beaulieu had no problem with a physical ability test required of police applicants. He had to run a mile and a-half in just under 13 minutes. He ran it in 9 flat and had no trouble with other requirements involving push-ups and sit-ups.

Police Chief Matt Canfield said the test eliminates applicants who haven’t been training.

“If you’ve prepared for it, you could do it,” he said. “The standards are not a secret. They are not crazy standards, but you have to be working out.”

Another deal breaker for some applicants is the need for a clean background. An investigation by detectives and a polygraph exam tends to expose untruthful statements. Sometimes, applicants are not eliminated because of an infraction, but because they lied about it.

A joint smoked many years ago is not a disqualifier, but recent drug use will wash out a candidate.

Canfield said that over a 6-month period the department had 200 applicants for three openings. Two qualified candidates emerged.

Retirements reduce the ranks and necessitate the hiring of new officers. Once the department adds police staff, some inevitably decide police work is not for them, creating openings that are hard to fill.

The job of police officer, which starts at about $45,000, is not the thrill ride portrayed on some television shows.

“It’s about helping people,” Canfield said. “There’s a lot of mundane paperwork. You’re living in a fish bowl. On or off duty, people know who you are. You get put on the spot in court cases.

“Some people start to think, maybe there’s a civilian job out there where I don’t have to work weekends and holidays and don’t have to have such a high-profile life.”

Officer-involved shootings have come under intense scrutiny in recent years. An officer’s split-second decision can have life-altering impact. Increased use of body cameras put police action further under the microscope.

Rick Myers, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said some videos viewed by many people capture improper police work and cast a bad light on the overwhelming majority of officers who act appropriately.

“It turns people off, particularly minority applicants, who we need to build up the trust and partnership in the minority community,” Myers said.

He also said a new generation of potential applicants want to balance career with family life. People with well-rounded lives make good officers but might shy away from some traditional police scheduling requirements.

Chief Timothy Merrill, executive officer of New Hampshire Police Academy, said violence against police officers has been in the news and that has also hurt recruiting efforts.

Some of the traditional good job benefits associated with public employment have decreased over time, and private sector work tends to be more lucrative.

“The constant tinkering with the retirement system is not helpful,” Merrill said.

Still, people coming through the academy tend to be of a higher caliber and have more education than once was the case. Along with learning the physical requirements of police work, the cadets have to hit the books.

“Academically, the academy is not a pushover; it’s intense,” Merrill said.

When academy graduates get on the street, many are likely to see an ugly side of society.

Rapes, overdoses and beatings are more common than some people realize, and those things can weigh on responding officers, Canfield said. It’s not uncommon for officers to see people who have died.

There’s a risk of needle sticks, dog bites and skin exposure to highly potent drugs, such as Fentanyl.

“But in my opinion, the positive outweighs the negative by far,” Canfield said. “Even in the tragedies we see, you can be a positive light for family members or victims. To me, there’s no better job on Earth, but it’s not for everybody.”