Advice for the future interim police commissioner

Aug. 29 – To the Editor:

There is often a mistaken concept that the Portsmouth Police Department needs to repair its reputation. The real problem is that the PPD needs to have leadership renaissance through a process of removal and replacement. By the time a man or woman reaches 30 years of age, he or she has developed his moral compass, guiding principles, and his philosophy of how he should treat others. The leadership involved in the exploitation of this vulnerable senior citizen can’t claim youthful indiscretion, ignorance of their policies, or that they have been transparent and honest. There was an orchestrated effort to aid or overlook Aaron Goodwin’s actions in obtaining the assets of Geraldine Webber, to the detriment of the city’s stake in the estate of Geraldine Webber. Had it not been for their actions, her legacy would have been that of a thankful and generous citizen of Portsmouth. It was essentially Goodwin taking money from his own employer, and the leadership and commissioners cheered, covered up, joked about, aided, and abetted.

The job of the interim commissioner is not to repair the image of the Portsmouth Police Department. Reputation is rightfully earned through actions. The citizens require the commission to put men of integrity into the leadership positions of the department, and to remove those who failed in their roles. You can’t teach ethically challenged police leadership to have integrity. That ship has sailed.

One problem with the old school was that it was very good at hiding these character failures. If the interim commissioner believes that fixing the appearance of the department will make our city safer, the problem won’t be fixed. Ethics classes are helpful but, for those who have no ethical foundation and who lied to the public about the existence of a meaningful internal investigation, there is no redemption. They must leave office, and if the commissioners don’t remove them, the bad reputation of the department will continue to trickle down from the chief and his captains. Each of these involved leaders should be on the Laurie list and should have no place in law enforcement. They must be terminated for cause.

If the interim commissioner and the other commissioners don’t do their jobs and replace the chief, all of the good deeds of the great rank and file officers are going to be lost in the acrid odor of the leadership. By the time a cancer manifests itself, it is often very advanced and nearly incurable. The behavior has been identified, the court has spoken, and the disease needs to be removed before the sun sets.

For the sake of Portsmouth’s citizens and amazing police officers, please resolve for us and them the overdue debt of new leadership. Let that leadership be built on lawfulness, openness, and character, not just a polishing of unfit apples. If any sitting commissioner finds this to be impossible due to personal relationships, let him resign now so that Portsmouth can be known for its integrity as much as its ability to feed and entertain the masses.

Arthur Clough

Portsmouth