MANCHESTER, NH – After 24 years serving and protecting here in the Queen City, Manchester Police Captain James Soucy will be moving on, having accepted a an offer to serve as Kittery, Maine’s Chief of Police.
The announcement was made April 11 by Kittery’s interim Town Manager Carol Granfield, pending a background check and contract negotiations.
“We’re looking for a good leader who will mentor the officers we have now, and go the next step for the town of Kittery as we continue to grow. We’re a busy area, although we have just under 10,000 people, we are a tourist destination. But it’s time to refocus on Kittery with a dedicated Chief of Police,” said Granfield Tuesday morning. “We’re excited and looking forward to Jim Soucy coming on board. He will be a great asset to our police force, and our town.”
Granfield said Soucy’s salary has not yet been decided, and is part of the contract negotiation process.
In a letter of recommendation penned by Manchester Police Chief Nick Willard back in February, Soucy is described as someone he admires both professionally and as a friend, a dedicated police officer of “utmost integrity and professionalism.”
Willard said on Tuesday that while he hates to lose Soucy, he is confident that he would propel Kittery’s Police Department to “heights it has never realized” under Soucy’s leadership.
The two of them started together in the same Manchester Police Officer class, and their careers as police officers have been parallel. Soucy’s rise to Chief comes one year after Willard took over as chief here in Manchester.
“Jimmy and I got hired together, we walked a foot beat together, rode mountain bikes together, we served in uniform patrol together, we were detectives and supervisors together – we’ve grown up together in this profession,” Willard said Tuesday. “To see that the two of us have realized something we never considered as beat cops, is rewarding. He is as happy to see me succeed as I am to see him have this opportunity.”
The Kittery Police Department currently has 20 full time patrol officers, and has been under the direction of Chief Theodore Short since 2013, who has served as joint chief of Kittery and Eliot, Maine.
The town council of Kittery decided that they wanted to hire a dedicated chief. If leadership is what they are looking for, Soucy will exceed their expectations, Willard said.
“Jimmy has innate leadership. It just comes naturally to him. People follow Jimmy without realizing they are following him. His greatest quality is that he values people, and I think it’s remarkable that Carol Granfield’s vision for him is first and foremost one of leadership,” Willard said. “Kittery is in good hands.”
Soucy, who joined Manchester Police Department in 1992 as a patrol officer, currently heads the Manchester Police Detective Squad, which includes five units; Burglary Unit, Fraud Unit, General Investigations Unit, Property Crimes Unit and Violent Crimes Unit.
His career in law enforcement began in 1989 as a Maryland State Trooper and flight paramedic, moving up in the ranks to sergeant, where he served as SWAT team leader and assistant SWAT commander. As a lieutenant, he was the patrol shift commander until his promotion to captain in May 2014, overseeing the community policing division until moving over to the investigative division in November of 2015.
Soucy is a 1992 graduate of the New Hampshire Police Academy and 2014 graduate of the elite Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He received an associate’s degree in applied science from New Hampshire Technical College.
Willard said once Soucy’s exit date is set, he will begin the promotion process to choose a new captain.
“To be honest, it’s a difficult process. We have to see who’s eligible based on time grade as a lieutenant, do promotional performance reports, and ultimately, I will make my own assessment and decide how we move forward,” Willard said.
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