Bonehead call in New Hampshire - Cops posing as Firefighters

PFFNH President David Lang, Lebanon Fire Chief & President of NH Association of Fire Chiefs Chris Chistopolous, and Seacoast Fire Chief President & Portsmouth Fire Chief Chris LeClaire discuss the Newport NH Police Officers diguising themselves as firefighters to make an arrest at the NH Legislative Office Building on March 5 2008.

Bonehead call by Fire Chief - Lets erode the public trust and get Firefighters killed.
Sounds like it's time for a New Police Chief and Fire Chief, Both the fire chief and police chief should be fired for this action.

"Police officers dressed as firefighters and using a fire truck entered the building and activated the fire alarm to evacuate residents in a safe manner so as not to bring attention to the pending arrest of Miller," Newport Police Chief David Hoyt said in a news release.

"We need to have the trust of the public when we respond," said David Lang of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire. "If we allow others to co-opt our image, trade on our good name, no matter the circumstances, we'd create a breach of trust with the public that will be impossible for us to repair,"

Faux Firefighters(Police) falsely set off building fire alarm system!.

Police use firefighter fake-out to arrest man

By KRISTEN SENZ
Union Leader Correspondent
Thursday, Mar. 5, 2009

NEWPORT – Disguised as firefighters, police officers from several communities staged a phony building evacuation Tuesday to arrest a Newport man with a violent past, according to Newport police.

Matthew Miller, 34, of Sunapee Street, allegedly pointed a shotgun at a police officer's chest and face when the officer responded to a noise complaint at Miller's apartment around 10 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

The officer had knocked on Miller's door, and when he asked who was there, the officer responded, "Newport police," according to a news release.

The officer was alone and couldn't safely draw his weapon or react to the threat at the time, police said, other than to convince Miller to put his weapon on the floor. The officer then left, but not before taking note of several other weapons and a small child in the apartment.

The officer found no outstanding arrest warrants for Miller, but did uncover a violent, criminal past that included a felony conviction, making Miller's possession of a firearm illegal, police said.

Police obtained arrest and search warrants for Miller and his Sunapee Street residence and called in officers from Claremont, Sunapee and Goshen to help execute them.

The Newport Fire Department also was alerted in case medical care was needed.

"Police officers dressed as firefighters and using a fire truck entered the building and activated the fire alarm to evacuate residents in a safe manner so as not to bring attention to the pending arrest of Miller," Newport Police Chief David Hoyt said in a news release.

As residents evacuated the building, police officers saw Miller in his apartment window with a one-year-old child in his arms. When he opened his apartment door, the faux firefighters seized the child from his arms and took him into custody without incident, Hoyt said.

During a subsequent search of Miller's apartment, police allegedly found a shotgun, a pistol, rifle scopes, body armor, night vision equipment and other weapon accessories, according to police.

Miller was arraigned yesterday in Newport District Court on charges of criminal threatening and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held at the Sullivan County House of Correction on $15,000 cash bail.

Source: Union Leader - Link
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Followup story:

Fire Officials Criticize Police For Impersonating Firefighters

Union Says Impersonation Could Erode Public's Trust Of Firefighters

NEWPORT, N.H. -- Firefighters are criticizing Newport police after they disguised themselves as firefighters to take a man into custody who allegedly threatened an officer with a gun.

Newport police said Matthew Miller pointed a shotgun at an officer responding to his apartment on a noise complaint Wednesday night. With no backup, the officer left, but hours later, police returned.

Dressed as firefighters, they were able to take Miller into custody without incident."This was the best possible scenario," said Police Chief David Hoyt. "It worked, and it was very quick. It was not harmful to anybody."Hoyt said it stood behind the tactics his department used.

Police spoke to the Newport fire chief, who allowed them to borrow a fire truck and uniforms.The chiefs from both departments went to Miller's building, and the officers, dressed as firefighters, went to Miller's door. They told him there was a carbon monoxide issue and arrested him as he came out."If we as police didn't handle it correctly, it was going to be disastrous for innocent people," Hoyt said.

Nobody in the building was evacuated, and no alarms were set off. But the tactics drew a strong response from other firefighters."We need to have the trust of the public when we respond," said David Lang of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire.

The union called the tactics dangerous."If we allow others to co-opt our image, trade on our good name, no matter the circumstances, we'd create a breach of trust with the public that will be impossible for us to repair," Lang said.

Hoyt said he never intended to break the public's trust."It's not to degrade those professions, to make those professions unsafe in any way," he said. "It's to accomplish our mission safely without causing harm to anybody."Newport Fire Chief Wayne Conroy said a lot of thought went into the plan, and his help let police make the arrest safely in 90 seconds."To be able to say that firefighters aren't trusted is definitely not the case of why I did this," Conroy said.

Lang said he and other firefighters realize that police officers also face dangers in the job, but he called on other police and fire leaders to not condone the impersonation of firefighters.

Source: WMUR - Link
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Official Firefighters Union response:

Fire Service Leaders condemn the impersonation of fire fighters
Updated On: Mar 05, 2009 (19:04:00)

WATCH THE PRESS VIDEO - CLICK HERE

The Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire and NH Association of Fire Chiefs together denounced the act of police officers acting as fire fighters.

Please view the attached press release below in a pdf format and watch the video posted in the link above. You do not need to be a member to view this page.

Download: press release.pdf March 5 2008 Press Conference