Programs

Police Explorers 

The Law Enforcement Explorer Program is a division of the Boy Scouts of America. The Durham Police Explorers Program is coordinated by Sergeant Daniel Brooks, Officer Michelle Montville, Officer Johnathan Lavoie and Officer Thomas Kilroy. Law Enforcement Exploring gives young adults (ages 14-20) the opportunity to gain insight into the career of law enforcement through classroom instruction and hands-on activities. The program is dedicated to enhancing character development and leadership skills, whether the young adult chooses a career in law enforcement or not. Explorers attend several different training seminars, competitions and community service activities.

For more information, please contact Officer Michelle Montville by phone or e-mail at: (603) 868-2324 or mmontville@ci.durham.nh.us

Adopt-A-Cop

In 1999, relations between the Durham Police Department and the Greek Community at UNH were strained. This led the department to seek for solutions that would lead to a better understanding of each other's needs. With the help of Sergeant Holmstock, the Adopt-A-Cop program was created. This program assigned an officer to each Greek House to be present at house meetings, help with community work, and attend social gatherings to ensure laws are followed. The end result is that the Greek House stays out of legal trouble and the entire community benefits. The program has gone above and beyond our expectations, with fraternities and sororities now calling their officers to ask simple questions and seeking assistance when they are in troubling situations. We believe this is a win-win program, as it has helped not just the department and the Greek Community, but also the town of Durham. 

Elder Services

On September 20th, 2000, the first Elderly Services Summit was held at the Durham Police Department. With more than 25 interested people in attendance, the Summit was aimed at identifying areas of concern for the elderly in our community. Issues raised included telephone fraud, pedestrian safety, home safety, and 911 and dispatch issues. With these issues in mind, the Durham Police have held several community dinners that creates a forum to address these topics. In December, a Holiday dinner was held, with the help of "Hutch" Hutchinson. The dinner allowed a series of training topics including online credit security, shopping hazards, and numerous safety tips to help with the holiday season. A New England Boiled Dinner was planned and scheduled to be held in March, but was unfortunately cancelled due to bad weather. Another service offered to our seniors is called "Good Morning Durham!." This program offers the opportunity for seniors to be contacted at regularly intervals daily to ensure that they are not sick, injured, or in need of services that they would not otherwise be able to get without a solicited phone call. If you are interested in joining this program, please call the Durham Police Department at 868-2324. 

Special Response Team (SRT)

In 1999, the Dover Police Department formed a group of officers who would be specially trained to handle unique situations, called the Special Response Team, or SRT. In 1999, the Durham Police Department formed a partnership with Dover, equipping the team with four Durham Police members. Situations and problems which are outside the realm of conventional police tactics and training are addressed by SRT. These incidents may include, but are not limited to high-risk warrant entry, hostage rescue, violent domestic situations, suicide intervention, and search and rescue. They also support the Secret Service when the President or Vice President visit the area. Officers assigned to SRT are encouraged to address each problem encountered by using a de-escalation and less-lethal force philosophy.

A strong emphasis is placed on less-lethal tools such as chemical munitions, noise/flash diversionary devices, and ASP. These tools and philosophies, rather than traditional police tactics, enhance the ability of an officer to take an individual into custody with a reduced potential for injury. Although SRT uses teamwork and coordination to enhance the probability of success during each mission, officers have the ability to work alone or in small groups. This fulfills the mission of rapid deployment to ongoing violent confrontations, which jeopardize the life and safety of citizens. SRT trains together twice a month, using schools, industrial buildings, and vacant houses as resources. The military surplus program has supplied the team with a vehicle and uniforms, while all other equipment used by SRT was purchased with Federal Grants. New England Sports Network (NESN) has featured the team training together on television.