Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.
Police officers, in Nashua and every other city in America, perform a number of services in the course of their job that citizens never see. Since the very beginning of an organized Nashua police force, beat-officers always check for open or unlocked doors on businesses. And since the beginning, open or unlocked doors have always been found.
In his Annual Report, under the heading, “A Word To Business People,” City Marshal Eaton points out that in the past year, patrolman have found open doors on businesses 287 times. Since the inception of the city charter and record keeping for the police department, this has always been a problem. It is unknown why he would call attention to it this year. However, Eaton was perhaps one of the most progressive Marshals the city has ever had. In the report he wrote, “…were it not for the vigilance of the officers, many larcenies may have occurred through the carelessness of someone, and the police force would have to bear a responsibility which would rightfully belong to others. I would respectfully recommend that the public exercise more care in the future…”
Another service Nashua police provided was to assist a drunken citizen to their home, rather than arrest them. In the days when the city limits were fairly compact, this was not too much of a problem. However, in the 1895 Annual Report, for the first time in the city’s history, assisting intoxicated persons home was ranked seventh, rather than the usual second or third “incidental service” police perform. By this time, the city’s population was approaching 23,000. The police had more to do than just help drunks get home.
That is not to say that there were no arrests for public intoxication. During FY1895, there were 1,395 arrests, the majority, 447 or 32% were for public intoxication. This was followed by keeping malt liquor for sale (173), and keeping spiritous liquor for sale (96). Clearly the Nashua Police Department was on a temperance crusade with so many arrests for having alcohol present. These may have also been the so-called “kitchen-dives” where civilians would sell drinks, their home serving as a saloon. This might have something to do with the 85% increase in fines collected compared to last year.
For the third year in a row, City Marshal Eaton pushes for a paddy wagon and communication system for the police department so officers at the far-reaches of their foot patrol can communicate with the station.
And for the second year in a row, Eaton pushes for “junk men and pawn brokers” to be licensed in the city and under threat of a heavy penalty, keep track of all the metal and rubber goods they collect. It seems pawn brokers were a convenient place to “fence” stolen property.
In 1895, the department was still having trouble with titles for their personnel. In the Annual Report for FY1895, there seems to be some confusion between the term policeman, watchmen, and constables. This year, the “part-timers” were called “Special Police Officer.” Oddly… no one seemed to mind the confusion.
And it had to come up sooner or later – denigrating police officers and police departments is nothing new. In Nashua, the topic came up near the end of the 19th century. According to the FY 1895 Commissioners Report, charges of “violence used during arrest’ was brought against one un-named officer. A hearing was set but the complainant failed to appear and apparently the charges were dropped. The City Marshal’s Report notes, for the second time, that the discipline of the police officers overall is good and he sees no problem. And if any civilian has a problem with an officer, they should bring it directly to the Marshal’s office or the office of the Police Commissioners where it will be quickly handled. However, he notes that a good many people have written complaints about various officers and sent them through the mail with no signature and no address. He wrote, “No such anonymous letters will receive any attention at these headquarters.”
Excerpted from Ledoux’s book: Nashua’s Finest: The History of Law Enforcement in Nashua NH
Yester-Heroes author Gary Ledoux grew up in Nashua’s Crown Hill area, attending Nashua schools and graduating from Nashua High in 1970. He attended NH Vo-Tech for a time, then moved to Amherst, then Manchester, and Weare. He served as a volunteer on the Amherst Fire Dept from 1974 to 1977. A career in the automotive business took him to Florida and then to southern California. After 48 years, he retired in 2017, moving back to Florida with his wife, Rachel, and two dogs. He has published seven books, including two about Nashua history, and has been a contributing editor or contributor to 10 different magazines. Gary can be reached at mayorclum@yahoo.com
