After former Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis retired in December 2024, captain James Martin stepped in as the Department’s acting chief. Martin — who served as Dennis’s second-in-command for four years — helped guide everyday operations and managed the Department’s accreditation by the Commission on Law Enforcement Agencies, a national credentialing authority for public safety agencies. Town manager Robert Houseman will select a permanent replacement for Dennis through a nationwide search by next month, according to Martin. The Dartmouth sat down with Martin — a candidate for the permanent position — to discuss his new role, experience with police professional development and thoughts on transparency in community policing.
How long have you worked for the Hanover Police Department? How did you come to serve as acting chief?
JM: I’m currently starting my fifth year in Hanover. I was second-in-command here at the Hanover Police Department. I’m currently a captain and acting in the Chief of Police role. I was selected by former Chief Dennis to lead the police department and ensure that the rudder runs straight during this leadership transition and that we are still fulfilling our mission to provide 24/7 police and communication services for the Hanover community.
How did you prepare to take on this interim role?
JM: I’ve been preparing for this role my entire career, particularly by undergoing professional leadership development. In 2016, before coming to the Hanover Police Department, I attended the FBI’s National Academy, which is a 10-week in-residence leadership course in Quantico, Va. I learned about executive leadership, professional development, best practices and 21st-century policing. The training emphasizes ethics, de-escalation, trust and transparency with the community, as well as implicit bias. We empower officers with a lot of trust to go out and work, and we have to make sure that they are trained in best practices and in implicit bias so that they make decisions that are transparent and reflective of Hanover’s community values.
How did the department ensure a smooth transition between you and Dennis?
JM: It started when I came to Hanover four years ago, when Dennis first tasked me with managing our Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accreditation, which the Department had not been able to do previously because of staffing levels. I went to some trainings at a local law enforcement mentoring group that meets every month, and we worked together. For instance, we went and did mock evaluations at each other’s departments to make sure that we were ready for CALEA’s onsite assessment, during which they look at your physical security and make sure all your policies are grounded in 21st-century values. We have a database where we upload proofs of these policies, like a video camera encounter of a traffic stop. We upload all that data into our assessment, which is then reviewed by these assessors.
For me, this was the best way to come into the Hanover Police Department — to learn and rewrite the policies to be ethical, free of implicit bias and emphasize de-escalation. Through managing our accreditation, I also got to showcase the hard work that the men and women of the Hanover Police Department do every day. As a leader, that’s how I judge my success — seeing the people that I’ve sourced and trained succeed out on the job.
How is the search going for a permanent chief? What is the timeline for selecting Dennis’s replacement?
JM: The town manager wants the next police chief in place by March 2025. It’s a nationwide search with a company called Municipal Resources Inc. that conducts assessment centers, which are simulations and writing exercises that tell us how an applicant would react to various Hanover-specific policing scenarios. When we look at applicants, we have to ensure that not only are they qualified, but that they can also meet the unique, diverse needs of the Hanover community. Members from the Dartmouth community, the faith community, the business community, residents and others get a voice in the selection of the next police chief. The ultimate decision will be made by Houseman.
What do you enjoy about working for the Hanover Police Department?
JM: I was a federal agent for 21 years with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives before coming to Hanover. I worked as an agent in charge of a few cities dealing with violent crime and led violent crime impact teams. I enjoyed that work because those cases made a real difference in the communities we served. But when the opportunity came up to come to Hanover, I wanted to get back to municipal, community-style policing.
One of the things I enjoy most is just walking down Main Street and having conversations with students and all kinds of different people — it could also be a visitor from Australia, Europe, anywhere. I’ve had some of the most interesting conversations of my life working here because Hanover is such a unique town — it’s so diverse, and every day is different. I meet new people almost every day, and this is where I want to be at this point in my life. I was able to impact things at a national strategic level as an ATF agent — such as dealing with gun violence, for example — but here it’s more of a community impact. I see results a lot quicker, and I enjoy that. I like coming to work every day. It’s a good team, and it’s a great community to work in.
What is challenging about working for the Hanover Police Department?
JM: The biggest challenge we’re facing right now is training and retention. As captain, I’m in charge of training and professional development, and the state just imposed an additional 24 hours of mandatory training each year. At the same time, we’ve been critically understaffed for the past four years, so balancing increased training with recruitment and retention has been a major focus.
We’ve used innovative recruiting strategies, like targeting local criminal justice students through Handshake and showcasing the community with a video of a Fall day in the town to attract top candidates. Thanks to these efforts, we’re on track to be fully staffed for the first time in a decade, with three highly qualified officers in the pipeline who will be on the road by September.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Correction Appended (Feb. 24, 4:11 p.m.): A previous version of this article incorrected stated the name of the consulting company that the Town of Hanover worked with to conduct a nationwide search for the new police chief. The Town worked with Municipal Resources Inc., not Management Recruiters International. The article has been corrected.
