MANCHESTER, NH – Four officers involved in an August incident in which they told a homeless man they were going to give him a head start in a game of “manhunt” were disciplined for violating internal Manchester Police Department standards of operating procedures.
The names of the officers and the discipline meted out was not disclosed in a joint news released issued Tuesday by Manchester Police and Mayor Jay Ruais. Manchester Ink Link asked for the information but the reporter was told to file a 91A or Right-to-Know request for further information. Ink Link did so.
In the news release, Chief Allen Aldenberg said he took full responsibility for the officers’ actions.
“I also have the responsibility to address their behavior in order to make them better police officers. I am fully confident that the involved officers have learned a great deal from this incident and I am certain that this behavior will not be repeated,” he said.
Ruais thanked the chief for taking swift action to address the issue and he supported the disciplinary decisions the chief made.
“As I’ve said, in order to address the challenge of homelessness we must do so in a comprehensive way, which is why we have already implemented 14 different initiatives to do just that. Enforcement of our laws and ordinances is a critical component to this and must always be done in a compassionate and empathic way with the ultimate goal of connecting an individual to resources and breaking the cycle of homelessness. If an individual wants and needs help in this city, it exists, but we cannot tolerate unlawful behavior and I will continue to support the Manchester Police Department in their work,” Ruais said.
Caitlyn Reilly, who lives at The Flats, 235 Hanover St., recorded the incident that happened about 10:50 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2024 in the alley behind her apartment building. Reilly said there were two police cruisers and a motorcycle cop on scene although only one of the cruisers is visible in the video.
She was in her living room that night when she heard a loud speaker and looked out a window to see what was happening.
The video shows three officers, one on a motorcycle, confronting the man. An officer said they saw him defecating against the building. The man denies it. At least one officer knows the man because he addresses him by his first name and tells him he should go back to Rochester.
“You don’t care about your kids…you don’t care about your kids….’cause you’d much rather shoot up in a fucking alleyway than be a fucking parent,” an officer tells him.
Another one says, “I bet $100 on my fucking paycheck I’m gonna see you tomorrow.”
One officer admonishes the man, telling him if he cared about his kids “you’d be home with them right now, not shooting up in a fucking dumpster.”
And an officer tells him, “If I see you again tonight you’re getting arrested. So, you better hide somewhere.”
Then an officer informs him they are going to have a manhunt.
“We’re going to play a game of manhunt. I’m going to give you a 20-minute head start and if I see you again, you’re going to jail.”
The officer begins a countdown: One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. A second officer, inside a police cruiser, turns on the loud speaker and starts the count over, beginning again with One Mississippi. An officer signals to officer on the loud speaker and instructs the officer to say, “Ready or not here we come.”
Once the man has run off, the officers end their countdown and then laugh together about the incident. One officer says they were driving down the alley and saw the man “shitting.”
As they talk, one of the officers looks up to see Reilly looking down at them from her apartment window.
“I heard speaking over the megaphone of a cop car – and wanted to check it out,” she said. “Once I realized it was three cops on one man and they were using language not the most professional – maybe 20 seconds in — I knew this is something that should be documented.”
Reilly got her cellphone and began recording and kept recording when an officer saw her. Reilly provided Ink Link with the recording.
“Sorry, someone was trying to poop on the side of the building. We were just trying to get him to stop,” the officer calls up to her.
“It happens,” Reilly replies. “The counting was a little weird.”
“We were trying to get him to stop before we arrested him,” an officer tells her.
“Yeah, but making it a game is kind of weird,” she says.
“Yeah, well, sorry,” an officer says and they all leave.
In the news release, the officials say the city has faced numerous challenges associated with homelessness. MPD has found itself at the forefront of the issue and “Officers have frequently been summoned to address situations involving homeless individuals engaged various types of criminal activity – violent assaults, thefts, illicit drug use, disorder in the city’s parks, streets, and alleyways. Each time they respond, the officers aim to manage these cases with professionalism and compassion for those facing homelessness and struggles with drug addiction. However, in this specific incident, some of the officers allowed their frustration and emotions to overwhelm them, ultimately damaging both their own reputation and that of the Manchester Police Department.”
According to officials, while the officers “successfully deterred criminal activity by stopping a homeless individual from defecating in an alley and injecting himself with illegal drugs, and they demonstrated compassion and discretion by refraining from making an arrest, this incident will regrettably be overshadowed by the choice of words used by some officers during their duties and their overall demeanor. Instead of being remembered for the positive actions they took, the unprofessional nature of their remarks overshadowed their intentions and accomplishments. Though actions should speak louder than words, in this case, the inappropriate content and delivery of some comments completely eclipsed the officers’ efforts.”
Police said the man involved in the incident had been arrested earlier in the day as he attempted to inject himself with heroin in a city park during daylight hours.
Later that day, the officers found him in the alley, “getting ready to do it again. The repeated interactions with the same individuals over similar offenses clearly led to some officers exhibiting less-than- professional conduct during this encounter.
Even the officers acknowledge that such behavior is unacceptable. The community deserves higher standards from its police officers. Regardless of their frustrations, the expectation is that law enforcement professionals behave as such – professionals. “
Reilly said what she witnessed was anything but compassionate.
She said “it’s bold of them to say that deciding not to arrest the man was an act of compassion. Compassion was nowhere in that interaction.”
Reilly also questioned what was meant by the officers “were disciplined accordingly” and wants to know exactly what action was taken.
”I feel we have the right to know what specific changes are being made to improve our city’s police force. Without proof of actionable steps, I sadly don’t expect much to change for the culture of MPD,” she said in an email response requesting a comment. “I’m glad that they acknowledged that their behavior was unprofessional but other parts of the statement seemed really dismissive and excusatory.”
