Manchester, NH police officers disciplined for incident involving homeless man – NBC Boston

Four police officers from Manchester, New Hampshire, were disciplined for violating service regulations after they treated a homeless man “unprofessionally” earlier this year.

The Aug. 12 incident that led to the disciplinary action was captured on video by a local resident and shows officers verbally abusing a homeless man, using numerous profanities and threatening to issue a fake “manhunt,” according to the Union Leader.

Manchester Ink Link reported at the time that officers told the man they would play a sort of manhunt game and give him a 20-minute head start before pursuing him.

The man seen in the video told a police officer he had to go home. The officer responded, “It's not Manchester… You're not OK here, so you should never come back. You should go back to Rochester.”

In a press release Tuesday morning, Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said he took full responsibility for the officers' conduct, adding that he was confident they had learned from the incident and would not repeat their behavior. He did not say what the disciplinary action entailed, saying only that the officers had been “appropriately disciplined.”

When asked if the department could disclose what disciplinary action the officers face, Manchester Police spokeswoman Heather Hamel responded in an email: “No, we do not disclose disciplinary details,” adding that a Freedom of Information request would have to be submitted for further information.

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais praised Aldenberg for intervening in the matter and said he supported the decision to discipline the officers.

“Enforcement of our laws and ordinances is a critical part of that and must always be done compassionately and empathetically, with the ultimate goal of connecting individuals with resources and breaking the cycle of homelessness,” Ruais said. “If an individual in this city wants and needs help, it is available, but we cannot tolerate unlawful behavior and I will continue to support the Manchester Police Department in their job.”

Aldenberg said his officers have been dealing with numerous challenges related to homelessness for some time, including violent assaults, thefts, drug use and more. But in this particular incident, he said, officers “allowed their frustration and emotions to get the better of them,” damaging their own reputation and that of the Manchester Police Department.

“Although the officers successfully prevented criminal activity by stopping a homeless man from defecating and injecting illegal drugs in an alley, and demonstrated compassion and discretion by refraining from making an arrest, this incident will unfortunately be overshadowed by the choice of words used by some officers while on duty and their overall demeanor,” Aldenberg said. “Rather than being remembered for their positive actions, the unprofessional nature of their remarks overshadowed their intentions and accomplishments. Although actions should speak louder than words, in this case, the inappropriate content and manner in which some comments were delivered completely overshadowed the officers' efforts.”

“The community deserves higher standards from its police officers,” he added. “Regardless of their frustrations, law enforcement officers are expected to conduct themselves like professionals.”