In 1841, the population of Great Falls Village in Somersworth, as it was then known, was around 2,500. As the population had grown so had the instances of crime. That led to the formation of the first formal and lawfully-ordained police force being assembled in the village. Seven villagers were appointed as police officers and the first set of by-laws and regulations were published on March 20, 1841.
Those regulations consisted of 10 ‘By-Laws An’ Regulations’ as they were described. My personal favorite is No. 5. “That no person shall ride through the streets or lanes of the compact part of this town at any swifter pace than at the rate of six miles an hour.” Hmm … maybe we should consider bringing that one back, but I digress. The penalty for breaking any of those 10 by-laws was to be no more than $5 and no less than $1, which was a lot of money back in the day. I’m still trying to figure out where the police station was housed at that time or whether in fact there was one.
Police station has had several locations
At some date, that I have yet to accurately pinpoint, the police station would be located in the original town-city hall which was at the corner of Washington and Main streets. It, like many of our other buildings, fell victim to the Urban Renewal program in the 1960s. Many older residents will recall going to the movies in the building, but I’ll write more about that in a future column.
In 1941 the police station would move to the newer city hall which was located where the Summersworth Historical Museum is located today on Main Street. The police station was located there until 1972 when the city of Somersworth would purchase the Grant building on Main street and move the entire force into the building. Incidentally, that building has an interesting history.
After a fire in 1933 that destroyed the original building, the Grant block would rise from the ashes and be named after the man who built it. At that time it would house the Somersworth telephone exchange upstairs and retail businesses on the ground level. In 1962, the telephone exchange would relocate to High Street and the building would become vacant. That was when the Somersworth Housing authority who were busy with Urban Renewal would rent much of the building as its headquarters which made sense as it was adjacent to the large project they were working on. In 1972, the city of Somersworth would purchase the building for $48,500 and refurbish it into a then-modern police station.
Here it would remain until 2007, when the present station was constructed on Blackwater Road. Since then the old police station on Main Street has remained unused in part because of environmental concerns. Those should soon be remedied thanks to a $97,450 State NH DES Brownfields grant that the city obtained in 2019, for the specific purpose of cleaning up the old station.
A thoroughly modern force
Since 1841, the Somersworth Police Force has changed in both numbers, duties and expectations as has the population of Somersworth. Now the force consisting of 29 officers keeps watch over a population of just over 12,000 residents and the calls are many and varied.
Over past years, I’ve been on a few ride-alongs with the department and to say it was an eye-opening experience would be something of an understatement. We went to call after call and never quite knew what we were walking into each time. I witnessed domestic disputes from a safe distance, traffic stops, and everything in between. Taking those ride-alongs opened my eyes to the kind of dangers our officers face each and every day. Yes, when I had a car I would hate or at least get nervous on the odd occasion I was pulled over, but seeing it from the other side of the fence was something of a revelation. I was nervous each time the officer walked up to a car having no idea who or what the occupants had inside. It’s easy to forget that those who wear the blue uniform are human beings with hearts that beat as ours do, as well as families waiting for them to come home from each shift.
There is so much more to a modern force than simply solving crimes and keeping law and order though. Today the Somersworth Police Department reaches into the community and pre-COVID-19 was busy promoting community events such as Coffee with a Cop, Shop with a Cop and the ever popular National Night Out. COVID has curtailed many of these community activities, but Somersworth officers are still busy doing their best to help where they can. For example, several officers will be taking part in the Law Enforcement Winni Dip which will raise funds for Special Olympics, a cause dear to many of the officers’ hearts. You can find more details and how you can help here: https://fundraising.sonh.org/fundraisers/somersworth-police-dept
Free Flu Shots Offered To Residents
When it comes to arms, vaccinations have been one of the buzzwords so far in 2021. If you haven’t gotten your all important flu shot yet this season, the Strafford County Public Health Network will be holding a free flu shot drive-thru or walk up clinic on Jan. 13 outside the Somersworth Housing Authority Offices (Flanagan Center). All shots are free so please if you still need a shot this would be an ideal time to protect yourself.
Well that’s all I have for this week. So I will close by simply saying stay safe, stay healthy and keep wearing those masks. ‘Til next week …
This article first appeared in Fosters Daily Democrat on January 13th, 2021