Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, addresses attendees in front of Nashua police headquarters, where she and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and police officers spoke on the importance of community policing. Among those with her are Shaheen, right, and Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess.

NASHUA – The component of law enforcement called community policing is more important now than ever, given the monumental challenges 2020 has brought to the doorsteps of all Americans, office-holders and police officers said during a recognition event Tuesday at Nashua police headquarters.

“Community policing works. And it should always be supported,” said Londonderry police Lt. Mark Morrison, president of the New Hampshire Police Association.

“Community policing is an integral part of policing,” added Hanover police Chief Charlie Dennis, president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.

“And 2020 is a year that clearly demonstrates that need. And the year isn’t even over yet.”

Dennis referred to the havoc wreaked by the arrival, and subsequent rapid spread, of the deadly COVID-19 virus that launched the current pandemic, as well as what he referred to as “the horrific murder of Mr. Floyd in Minnesota” that triggered peaceful demonstrations, but also ignited spates of violence there and in other cities across the nation.

Both of New Hampshire’s U.S. senators, Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, said Tuesday that the added focus on the importance of community policing over the past several months persuaded them to craft and support a bi-partisan resolution – with Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas – to officially recognize community policing.

The program, held outside in the public parking lot in front of Nashua police headquarters, was scheduled to coincide with National Community Policing Week, which began Sunday and runs through Saturday.

Dennis, the Hanover chief, said National Community Policing Week was originally a one-time event that former president Barack Obama proclaimed during his administration.

Dennis credited Shaheen for her efforts in resurrecting the week-long observance this year.

It’s through “the strength of community policing … that exists across New Hampshire” that gives law enforcement the ability to navigate such challenges as dealing with the pandemic and joining in the national conversation on policing in general, and police reform, he added.

Nashua police chief Mike Carignan spoke briefly before introducing Officer Bennett Stusse, the department’s newest Police Athletic League (PAL) officer.

“Community policing is something that is successful only if there’s a buy-in from the top on down,” Carignan said. “Everyone, from the chief to special officers, has to believe in it.”

The national PAL program, which debuted in Nashua in 1989 and is often cited as the ideal example of community policing, is structured to “build bridges of understanding with the youth of the community” and boost “interaction within the city,” Stusse said.

“I believe that the strength of mind, body and character” that PAL focuses on “is paramount to a better future,” he said, referring to the youth the program serves.

The result, Stusse added, is “lower levels of fear and a higher degree of trust” of police officers.

Shaheen, meanwhile, said she was “glad to have visited” Nashua police headquarters “in recognition of National Community Policing Week,” and to recognize “the tremendous work our law enforcement officers perform each day to protect their communities.”

The importance of “building strong relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve” became evident during “the tragic events over the past several months,” Shaheen said, adding that “my bipartisan community policing resolution with senators Hassan and Cornyn supports these efforts while also recognizing the challenges law enforcement face.”

She vowed to continue “to fight for funding for programs that advance the principles of community policing … .”

Hassan agreed, telling those gathered that “the events of the past few months” underscore the importance of trust-building between police and members of the communities they serve.

“Community policing is an important tool to improve relationships” between police and community members, Hassan said, telling listeners that she “is incredibly grateful to our officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities.

“I will keep working with Senator Shaheen to ensure that they have the support that they need,” she said.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.