A Black Lives Matter protest more accessible to those in the disabled community is being organized for next Friday in Portsmouth.
After dozens of new police applicants in New Hampshire are winnowed by a rigorous process of written tests, interviews, oral boards, polygraph tests and background checks, many prospective officers must also be psychologically evaluated before they go through the state police academy to become certified.
(Family members pinned the badges on eight new Derry Police officers at a swearing in ceremony outside the Tupelo Music Hall on Aug. 27. (Ryan Lessard))
Nationwide calls for police reform following protests over systemic racism, police brutality and the killing of unarmed black people have started conversations in New Hampshire and elsewhere to identify weaknesses in police standards and accountability and to fix them. Those conversations turn again and again to accreditation, a process that involves a third party regularly inspecting and reviewing a department’s policies, procedures and facilities to make sure it’s following best practices in policing.
Sarah Letendre was arrested on July 11 following a reported domestic violence incident at her Rollinsford home with her husband, R.J. Letendre, a Dover police officer. She was later charged with violating a protective order in the case. She allegedly fled from police, but turned herself in on Thursday after Rollinsford police obtained an arrest warrant.
However, she has since spoken out about the case on Facebook.
(Dozens of people marched from Henry Law Park in Dover to the police station to protest Sarah Letendre’s arrest. Photo By Damien Fisher, Granite State News Collaborative)
