Detectives with the Concord Police Department (CPD) were able to clear 84% of the cases involving violent crime in fiscal year 2013. This includes crimes such as murder, rape, and aggravated assault. The clearance rate may even increase over time, since many of the open cases are still being investigated.
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The New Hampshire Police Department employs detectives in its Investigations Division. This includes the following units:
- Criminal Investigations Unit
- Drug Enforcement Unit
- Youth Services Unit
Becoming a Detective with the Concord Police Department
Prospective detectives in Concord who do not have previous investigative experience can join the force as police officer recruits. From there, those who show aptitude in conducting investigations may be promoted to become criminal investigators.
The CPD generally runs selection processes for police officers 2-3 times a year. It is highly selective in choosing people for positions on its force.
Educational Requirements – The department likes to hire applicants who have a bachelor’s degree, and call them up to be interviewed before other candidates.
The minimum requirement to join the force is to have a high school diploma plus at least one of the following:
- At least 60 credit hours towards an associate’s or bachelor’s degree
- 2 years of experience as a certified police officer (full-time)
- 4 years of active military service with an honorable discharge
While the department does not specify a specific major for its police officers, many applicants with their sights set on becoming a detective with the Concord PD major in such fields as:
- Criminal justice
- Sociology
- Law enforcement
- Forensic science
- Forensic psychology
- Crime scene investigations
Additional selection requirements include:
- Being a U.S. citizen
- Having a driver’s license valid in New Hampshire
- Not having tattoos or body art visible with a short sleeve uniform
Selection Process – Lateral transfers are exempt from the written exam, but must take part in all of the other testing phases. The full list of steps is shown below:
- Review of minimum qualifications
- Written exam
- Test of physical ability
- Panel interview
- Polygraph exam
- Background check
- Psychological exam
- Interview
- Physical exam and drug screening
Training – New recruits undergo 14 weeks of training at the state’s Police Academy, which is located in Concord. Classroom study includes the following topics among many others:
- Ethics
- Laws
- Human relations
- Writing reports
Physical training is an integral part of the curriculum, and each weekday starts with a 5:30 AM exercise program. The academy has a state of the art indoor firing range and a Tactical Center. The latter can hold several vehicles to create a realistic street scene.
Serving as a Detective In Concord, New Hampshire
The work performed by Concord’s detectives frequently results in important, high profile arrests. Some notable cases from early 2014 are described here:
In January, a woman reported that she had been sexually assaulted inside a smoke shop. The detectives’ investigations uncovered a number of additional victims. They issued a warrant for the arrest of the owner of the store, and he turned himself in to police in early April.
The case of a series of sexual assaults on a juvenile male started in Hopkinton and spread to Concord as investigators learned that he had also been assaulted there. The felon was an acquaintance of the juvenile’s family and had access to the teenager. CPD detectives arrested the man in March.
A suspect in a sexual case from August 2013 turned himself in to police in January 2014. The man claimed to be a hypnotist and assaulted a woman who had sought his services. Detectives recovered enough evidence while searching his residence to issue an arrest warrant.