Bow’s New Police Chief, Ken Miller spoke at Bow Rotary
Chief Miller updated the club on the current status of the department. There are presently 11 officers on staff with a budget for 13. Currently there are five people going through the hiring process and two officers schedule to retire. Recruitment and hiring, as well as scheduling has been difficult. The Chief spoke of specific promotions and needs in the department. When he started, he had to jump right into the budget process and is looking to move things forward.
K9 officer Roxie is retiring, and they have a fundraiser that has already reached $15,000 to replace her. The SRO (school resource officer) has been named and will be spending more time in schools soon. They are also testing body cameras as part of a grant- $72,000 total with $36,000 grant funded. Chief Miller said that these are good tools and they have already helped settle some disputed complaints.
Dave Stack stated that the chief has done a great job over the last four months. A computer use audit has shown some improvements that need to be made and that is being worked on. Chief Miller stated that our police officers also respond to medical calls and are often the first on the scene. If they had AEDs in the patrol cars, they could save lives. The Chief is asking Rotary to consider helping to fund one or more AEDs at the cost of $1,000 each. They would like to acquire 4-6 units. He is also working on getting officers EMT certified as first responders.
President Ben Kiniry with Chief Miller
Eric Anderson photo
Eric Anderson photo