The Dunbarton Police Department proudly serves a community of 3,005 (2020 Census) residents. The Town of Dunbarton is located in southern Merrimack County and is surrounded by the towns of Bow, Weare, Hopkinton, Goffstown and Hooksett. Dunbarton is a short drive to Concord, the State's Capital, and Manchester, the State's largest populated city. There are 30.9 square miles of land and .5 miles of inland waterways to include Kimball Pond, Gorham Pond, Long Pond, Stark Pond and Purgatory Pond. State Routes 77 (Concord Stage Road) and 13 (Stark Highway North/South) run through Dunbarton. These are major routes that lead into Concord, Weare, Goffstown and Manchester and provide a heavy commuter presence. There are numerous woodland trails and access ways which provide a significant presence of hikers, hunters, mountain bikers and those who enjoy OHRV's at Clough State Park. The scenic atmosphere and abundance of hills is a favorite of competitive bike riders.
The Dunbarton Police Department has an authorized strength of 5 Full-Time sworn police officers that includes a Full-Time Chief of Police, 1 Full-Time Sergeant and 3 Full-Time Patrol Officers. The Department is also staffed with a compliment of Part-Time Patrol Officers and a Part-Time Office Administrator. Our dispatch services are provided by the Goffstown Police Department, who also dispatches for the Goffstown and Weare Police Departments and the Goffstown, New Boston and Weare Fire Departments. The Dunbarton Police Department contracts with the Concord City Prosecutor's Office to prosecute violation and misdemeanor level offenses. Felony level offenses are prosecuted by the Merrimack County Attorney's Office. The Department's criminal cases fall under the jurisdiction of the 6th Circuit Division - Concord District Court and the Merrimack County Superior Court. Several Dunbarton Police Officers are sworn Special Deputy Sheriffs with the Merrimack County Sheriff's Office, giving them statewide jurisdiction when conducting criminal investigations that originated in or have a nexus to the Town of Dunbarton while also supporting certain specialized assignments.
Our agency has mutual aid agreements with the following communities: Bow, Concord, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Weare, Goffstown and New Boston. Mutual aid agreements allow neighboring communities to assist each other with law enforcement related incidents and investigations. We also work closely with the New Hampshire Fish and Game with respect to the vast amount of people hunting, fishing and using OHRV's in Dunbarton.
The Dunbarton Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency and provides various services to include pre-employment fingerprinting and vehicle identification number (VIN) checks for Town residents, vacant property checks for residents away on vacation and participation in community events such as Old Home Day, National Night Out, Town Meeting and other important town functions. The Department is also proud to offer many community policing initiatives such as free child safety seat inspections and installations, scam/fraud awareness presentations, and our annual bicycle rodeo, to name a few. For more more information on the community services and programs that we provide, please visit our Community Programs page. Community events are announced on our Facebook page and in local newspapers.
The Department has the responsibility of protecting and deterring crime from over 20 businesses to include the Dunbarton Elementary School, which houses grades K-6. The Department conducts all criminal investigations which occur within the jurisdiction of Dunbarton. The Town of Dunbarton is a member agency of the Concord Regional Crimeline.
The Dunbarton Police Department maintains a strong working relationship with the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and provides investigative and operational assistance to the Task Force. In addition, several members of the Department are certified in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) which is regarded as the "gold standard" in mental health training. The Dunbarton Police Department is also a member agency of the Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit (CNHSOU) (more information about the CNHSOU may be found here) and the Southern New Hampshire Peer Support/Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team.
In 2015, the Department logged 5,700 call numbers which included domestic disturbances, assaults, mental health related emergencies, burglaries, drug investigations, thefts, sexual assaults and other complex investigations. Our agency conducts a wide variety of proactive policing efforts to include motor vehicle enforcement, building security checks, vacant house checks and directed enforcement patrols. Our officers are "general practitioners" in law enforcement. They handle calls for service and investigations from "start to finish" which may include, but isn't limited to: initial scene response, suspect, witness and victim interviews, evidence collection and processing, follow up inquiries, compilation of search and/or arrest warrants, case file preparation, coordination with other law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, the court system, and more.
Currently, our vehicle fleet consists of a 2023 Ford Police Interceptor SUV, 2022 Ford Police Interceptor SUV, 2021 Ford Police Interceptor SUV, 2020 Ford Police Interceptor SUV and a 2017 Ford Police Interceptor SUV. We also have a Trek Marlin 5 bicycle that was purchased through a Concord Regional Crimeline Grant in 2022. This bicycle is used to patrol the various trail systems, recreational areas, and densely populated neighborhoods in Dunbarton to enhance our crime prevention and community policing capabilities.
Our officers are highly trained in a variety of law enforcement disciplines. Among our officers, we have received specialized training and have instructors in the following areas to include, but not limited to: Firearms Instructors, Patrol Rifle Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructors, Taser CEW Instructor, Expandable Baton Instructor, Oleoresin Capsicum (OC Spray) Instructor, Physical Fitness Testing Instructors, Field Training Officers, Portable Breath Test Instructors/Operators, GLOCK Armorers, Basic Police Prosecutor, Interviews & Interrogations, Background Investigator, SIG SAUER Armorer, Active Shooter Response, Wilderness First Responder, Sexual Assault Investigations, Elder Abuse & Financial Exploitation, Cybercrimes/Child Exploitation, Narcotics Investigations, Methamphetamine Lab Response, Government Resistance Groups, CPR/AED, Biohazard Precautions, Advanced Evidence Recovery & Processing, Law Enforcement Management/Supervisor Training, Search & Rescue, Intoxilyzer 5000 operator, ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) Certified Officers, Fraud Investigations, Bomb-Making Materials Awareness, Surveillance Detection, Social Media Investigations, Civilian Response to Active Shooter trainers and many more training topics.
The Dunbarton Police Department has an authorized strength of 5 Full-Time sworn police officers that includes a Full-Time Chief of Police, 1 Full-Time Sergeant and 3 Full-Time Patrol Officers. The Department is also staffed with a compliment of Part-Time Patrol Officers and a Part-Time Office Administrator. Our dispatch services are provided by the Goffstown Police Department, who also dispatches for the Goffstown and Weare Police Departments and the Goffstown, New Boston and Weare Fire Departments. The Dunbarton Police Department contracts with the Concord City Prosecutor's Office to prosecute violation and misdemeanor level offenses. Felony level offenses are prosecuted by the Merrimack County Attorney's Office. The Department's criminal cases fall under the jurisdiction of the 6th Circuit Division - Concord District Court and the Merrimack County Superior Court. Several Dunbarton Police Officers are sworn Special Deputy Sheriffs with the Merrimack County Sheriff's Office, giving them statewide jurisdiction when conducting criminal investigations that originated in or have a nexus to the Town of Dunbarton while also supporting certain specialized assignments.
Our agency has mutual aid agreements with the following communities: Bow, Concord, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Weare, Goffstown and New Boston. Mutual aid agreements allow neighboring communities to assist each other with law enforcement related incidents and investigations. We also work closely with the New Hampshire Fish and Game with respect to the vast amount of people hunting, fishing and using OHRV's in Dunbarton.
The Dunbarton Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency and provides various services to include pre-employment fingerprinting and vehicle identification number (VIN) checks for Town residents, vacant property checks for residents away on vacation and participation in community events such as Old Home Day, National Night Out, Town Meeting and other important town functions. The Department is also proud to offer many community policing initiatives such as free child safety seat inspections and installations, scam/fraud awareness presentations, and our annual bicycle rodeo, to name a few. For more more information on the community services and programs that we provide, please visit our Community Programs page. Community events are announced on our Facebook page and in local newspapers.
The Department has the responsibility of protecting and deterring crime from over 20 businesses to include the Dunbarton Elementary School, which houses grades K-6. The Department conducts all criminal investigations which occur within the jurisdiction of Dunbarton. The Town of Dunbarton is a member agency of the Concord Regional Crimeline.
The Dunbarton Police Department maintains a strong working relationship with the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and provides investigative and operational assistance to the Task Force. In addition, several members of the Department are certified in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) which is regarded as the "gold standard" in mental health training. The Dunbarton Police Department is also a member agency of the Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit (CNHSOU) (more information about the CNHSOU may be found here) and the Southern New Hampshire Peer Support/Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team.
In 2015, the Department logged 5,700 call numbers which included domestic disturbances, assaults, mental health related emergencies, burglaries, drug investigations, thefts, sexual assaults and other complex investigations. Our agency conducts a wide variety of proactive policing efforts to include motor vehicle enforcement, building security checks, vacant house checks and directed enforcement patrols. Our officers are "general practitioners" in law enforcement. They handle calls for service and investigations from "start to finish" which may include, but isn't limited to: initial scene response, suspect, witness and victim interviews, evidence collection and processing, follow up inquiries, compilation of search and/or arrest warrants, case file preparation, coordination with other law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, the court system, and more.
Currently, our vehicle fleet consists of a 2023 Ford Police Interceptor SUV, 2022 Ford Police Interceptor SUV, 2021 Ford Police Interceptor SUV, 2020 Ford Police Interceptor SUV and a 2017 Ford Police Interceptor SUV. We also have a Trek Marlin 5 bicycle that was purchased through a Concord Regional Crimeline Grant in 2022. This bicycle is used to patrol the various trail systems, recreational areas, and densely populated neighborhoods in Dunbarton to enhance our crime prevention and community policing capabilities.
Our officers are highly trained in a variety of law enforcement disciplines. Among our officers, we have received specialized training and have instructors in the following areas to include, but not limited to: Firearms Instructors, Patrol Rifle Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructors, Taser CEW Instructor, Expandable Baton Instructor, Oleoresin Capsicum (OC Spray) Instructor, Physical Fitness Testing Instructors, Field Training Officers, Portable Breath Test Instructors/Operators, GLOCK Armorers, Basic Police Prosecutor, Interviews & Interrogations, Background Investigator, SIG SAUER Armorer, Active Shooter Response, Wilderness First Responder, Sexual Assault Investigations, Elder Abuse & Financial Exploitation, Cybercrimes/Child Exploitation, Narcotics Investigations, Methamphetamine Lab Response, Government Resistance Groups, CPR/AED, Biohazard Precautions, Advanced Evidence Recovery & Processing, Law Enforcement Management/Supervisor Training, Search & Rescue, Intoxilyzer 5000 operator, ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) Certified Officers, Fraud Investigations, Bomb-Making Materials Awareness, Surveillance Detection, Social Media Investigations, Civilian Response to Active Shooter trainers and many more training topics.