Wakefield NH Police Department
603-522-3232 (business line)
Happy 250th Birthday to the Town of Wakefield! It was great to see this great community come together as one and celebrate this historic occasion. What an experience for our residents of all ages to see Governor Sununu arrive by train, as well as the cannon and musket fire reenactments at the Sanborn Hill Farm. A special thank you to the Wakefield 250th Committee and all the volunteers and the Wakefield 250th Committee for all their work!
The Wakefield Police Department continued its long-running standard of participating in the Office of Highway Safety Initiatives. These grants included Speed Enforcement, Driving Under the Influence, Distracted Driving, Join the Clique, and U Drive U Text U Pay. We work hard to enforce the laws and educate travelers on the road. These initiatives, combined with focused speed checks and utilizing our speed radar trailers were effective tools in slowing down drivers and promoting safe driving habits.
2024 has been a particularly challenging year on the New Hampshire roadways. There has been a drastic increase in motor vehicle-related fatalities with a large spike of drivers under the age of 21. Reasons like this is why we participate in these initiatives with the hope of preventing more tragic accidents.
The Wakefield Police Department acted as a ‘Host’ agency in 2024 for multiple trainings. We hosted a Glock Armorer course and an Axon Taser course with both classes filled with officers from all over New Hampshire and surrounding states. Training is a priority for the Wakefield Police Department and we will continue to host these classes in the future. Our officers conducted their annual Use of Force Training with practical life-like scenarios at the Paul School during the summer break. These scenarios use airsoft tools where officers had to respond to a simulated incident at the school. These life-like trainings are educational and beneficial to every officer. Other trainings conducted at the Wakefield Public Safety Building were Driving While Intoxicated Detection and Tactical Compact Driving Course. These challenging trainings further build the skills needed to be proficient and successful as a police officer.
The Wakefield Public Safety Building generator was installed this year. This was done through the Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) to replace our aging generator. The original generator was given to the Highway Department and is being utilized at their new Pump Station. The Wakefield Public Safety Building operates as an Emergency Operations Center during large storms and emergencies. This year, our building was opened up and used on multiple occasions as an emergency shelter. In the last 2 years, the Wakefield Public Safety Building has opened as EOC on 5 separate occasions. We have also updated our emergency equipment purchasing new sleeping bags and foam mats for sleeping arrangements. We have also purchased extended shelf-life food, water, batteries, and solar chargers.
K-9 Officer Matthew Martino and his partner Echo continue to be a valuable asset to Wakefield, as well as surrounding towns. Officer Martino and Echo handled several tracks in 2024 with one of them being lifesaving. In 2024, Officer Martino and Echo got a new cruiser that is built to meet the special needs of the K-9 The importance of our K-9 program continues to remain a priority to our department and community.
Officer Connor McLain was voted Officer of the Year by his peers. Officer McLain started his career with the Wakefield Police in 2022 and has quickly turned into an outstanding and well-balanced officer. Officer McLain is a Firearms instructor and Certified Field Training Officer. His career here at the Wakefield Police Department is off to a great start!
Respectfully,
Chief Michael Fenton