Hearing to settle dispute over Gilmanton PD postponed
Union Leader Correspondent
March 20. 2018 11:06PM
Some Gilmanton residents were recently asked by the town to take down signs supporting the police department in its dispute with selectmen. The town dropped it's request after the ACLU raised First Amendment concerns. (COURTESY)
LACONIA — A court hearing scheduled for this past Tuesday to settle a dispute over the operation of the Gilmanton Police Department has been postponed to next month.
Attorney Ed Philpot of Laconia, who represents Gilmanton Police Chief Matt Currier, was granted a continuance as he was double-booked.
On Feb. 12, Philpot filed a petition on Currier’s behalf in Belknap County Superior Court, asking a judge to issue a restraining order, barring selectmen from enforcing formal written policies they’d adopted in December governing various administration functions of the Police Department and Currier.
Currier contends state law gives him ultimate control of the department. Selectmen, represented by Attorney Mark Broth of Concord, assert that as Currier’s employer, they have the lawful right to draft and enforce such policies.
The hearing is now tentatively scheduled to be held on April 11 at 1:30 p.m.
