Exeter Police Chief to Retire in January

EXETER, NH - After nearly 35 years of distinguished service, Chief Richard Kane announced today that he will retire from the Exeter Police Department next month, a department he has led as chief of police for 16 years.

“It has been an honor to serve the community of Exeter and its residents, working alongside so many wonderful men and women both inside and outside the department,” Kane said in a statement. “I will surely miss interacting with community members on a daily basis in the role I have held for so many years.”

Kane will officially retire on Jan. 8, 2016. He has been with the department since March 1981, beginning his career as a patrolman and as the town’s animal control officer. He became a patrol sergeant in 1984, a role he held until 1990, when he moved up to detective sergeant. By 1992, he was promoted to patrol lieutenant, and then detective lieutenant in 1998. In 1999, he was named chief and has since remained committed to serving the community while moving the department forward.

“We appreciate Chief Kane’s dedication to the department and we are wishing him all the best in his retirement,” said Exeter Town Manager Russ Dean. “Under the Chief’s leadership the Town of Exeter has traditionally been one of the safest in New Hampshire, and also one of the best trained. He has a list of accomplishments that really speak for themselves and we appreciate all of his service to the Exeter community over the years.”

Throughout his career, Kane implemented several initiatives to help police solve crimes while tackling changes in technology (the transition to cell phones and computers and the birth of social media) to keep the department’s policies and procedures current. Over the years, he:

• Assigned an officer to Internet Crimes Against Children state-wide task force
• Led the department successfully through the New Hampshire accreditation process
• Instituted the first school district-wide building lock down procedures
• Renovated the emergency operations center using a $100,000 federal grant
• Established a civilian prosecutor position within the department
• Instituted online crime mapping for residents
• Provided free gun locks and drug testing kits to parents concerned about children’s drug use
• Introduced Facebook and Twitter to the department for better communication with residents and the media

Kane also received the Life Saving Medal from the Union Leader and was named Police Officer of the Year in 1997 for his efforts in rescuing a woman who crashed her car into frigid water.

In 2014, Exeter was named “New Hampshire’s Safest Town.”