Bedford Hires More Police Officers, Staff Shortage Eased

BEDFORD, NH — The Bedford Police Department has hired several officers in the past couple of months after new incentives were introduced to ease a critical staffing shortage. In June, Police Chief John Bryfonski had described a staffing shortage of almost 20 percent at the Bedford Police Department, and new incentives — including higher wages for new officers and a $10,000 sign-on bonus — were introduced. This week, police said six new officers have been hired, alleviating the high number of vacant positions.

The Bedford Police Department had eight vacant positions in June. This week, Police Lt. Michael Bernard said the department has hired six officers, of which five are already certified and are not required to go through the 16-week police academy. Of those five officers, two are already certified in New Hampshire, and three came from police departments of other states, including Massachusetts, he said.

"I think it's a great step in the right direction," said Bernard. "We are excited to have the new members come aboard. We're going to have experience coming aboard the agency."

Bernard said although the department is accepting both certified and non-certified officers, those who already hold a police certification require less training time before they step foot on the road for the job.

All of the new officers will be working in patrol, but will later have a chance to branch out into other areas of policing, such as bicycle patrol, motorcycle patrol and crime scene investigation. Bernard said many who apply to the Bedford Police Department come from a wide variety of backgrounds, such as business, psychology and criminal justice fields, and that diversity is appreciated in Bedford.

Among the qualities of a desirable candidate are integrity, commitment and desire to do the job, said Bernard, a lifelong resident of Bedford who has spent 24 years in law enforcement.

"Integrity is a big thing," he said. ""Do the right thing when nobody's looking."

The hiring incentives implemented in June to draw in more applicants included wage increases for starting officers, and a $10,000 sign-on incentive for new hires. Previously, Bryfonski had described the staffing shortage at the Bedford Police Department as acute and critical. According to Bernard, working overtime has been one of the ways the department had dealt with the staff vacancies.