MANCHESTER, N.H. – Earlier this week, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously supported a vote of confidence in Manchester Police Department Chief Allen Aldenberg following calls from several members of the public for his ouster during the public comment session of this week’s Aldermanic meeting.
The public comments were made in relation to recent allegations of police misconduct where an officer has been accused of initiating a “manhunt” against a homeless person.
Matei Alexandru of the Socialist Party of Southern New Hampshire was one of several people to protest outside before the meeting regarding the incident, and said any officers involved in the incident should be terminated.
“This is far from the first time that we’ve heard of instances of police abusing vulnerable people,” he said.
Not all comments from members of the public that voiced frustration with the incident believed that Manchester Police officers should be terminated. Former Manchester Police Commissioner Manny Content stated that investigation should and will happen and stated he was the victim of unprofessional police behavior in Manchester. However, he felt that rash actions would not resolve mistakes.
“All this energy that is being used to call for people to be fired and get rid of, let’s use that energy to fix what we have,” he said.
Following public comment and a set of proclamations, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais defended Aldenberg and the Manchester Police Department, stating that he has spent significant time with members of the department and he has full faith and confidence in them.
“I have heard from countless residents that they are deeply pleased with the police department we have here in Manchester every single day to protect our safety,” he said.
Alderman At-Large Joseph Kelly Levasseur made the motion stating that the board has “100 percent support” in Aldenberg, with the motion seconded by Ward 8 Alderman Ed Sapienza. It was approved via voice vote.
