EPPING - After 30 years as police chief, Gregory Dodge is retiring from the police force and heading over to town hall to serve as town administrator beginning Jan. 1.
Once the youngest police chief in the state, the 54-year-old Dodge was named town administrator Tuesday.
"I love Epping and I love working for the town. This is an opportunity to leave a job I love and start a new chapter," Dodge said.
Dodge was appointed interim town administrator when the search began to replace Dean Shankle, who left to become Hooksett town administrator Sept. 1.
His last day as chief will be Dec. 31.
Dodge was 24 when he was elected chief in 1981 - the last time voters chose a chief at the polls. He began his law enforcement career as a part-time officer in Epping in 1979 and went full time a year later.
While the town considered outside candidates, selectmen agreed that Dodge was right for the job. He has proven to be an effective administrator at the police department and has also demonstrated those skills since taking over as interim town administrator, officials said.
Dodge will be paid $70,000 a year.
"We were really impressed with what he's done, and we feel that it will be a smooth transition for all of our employees," said Karen Falcone, chairman of the board of selectmen.
Dodge's departure will leave the chief's position vacant. Falcone said police Lt. Michael Wallace will likely be named interim chief.
Wallace said Dodge will be missed around the police department, where Wallace has worked under Dodge throughout his 23-year career in Epping.
"Not seeing him every day will be tough, but he will be working for the town, so we're going to remain in close contact with him," Wallace said.
Wallace described Dodge as an "outstanding boss" who moved the police department forward while always considering the financial impacts to the town.
Dodge has held other positions outside of his duties as chief. He is chairman of the Epping School Board and will be allowed to remain on the board while serving as town administrator, although he won't seek the chairmanship when a new board is organized after the March elections.
Dodge plans to resign as treasurer for the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police and as a member of the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council and the DARE National Law Enforcement Executive Advisory Board. He will continue to hold his position as a special deputy sheriff.
Dodge has seen many changes since he began as one of only two full-time officers working from the basement of the town hall. The department now shares a public safety complex with the fire department, and the force has grown to 13 full-time officers and five part-timers.
He's also seen crime increase as the town's population and commercial base has grown. He said the most heinous crime to occur during his tenure was the sensational murder case of serial killer Sheila LaBarre, who is serving life in prison for the brutal slayings of Kenneth Countie and Michael Deloge. The case captured headlines and is now the subject of a true crime novel by New Hampshire author Kevin Flynn.
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