by Ian | Mar 16, 2017 | Articles, News
Brian Costa
I was shocked to hear the news on WKBK earlier this week that Brian Costa, Keene’s police chief since 2015, had died in his home one week ago. I was even more surprised to learn he was just 46 years old. Unlike his predecessor, Brian treated me like a human being. He was kind, respectful, and approachable. Surely he and I disagreed on various subjects, but that never stopped him from being willing to work with me where we agreed. The few times I’d interacted with him in his too-short-a-term as police chief, I was impressed with his humanity and professionalism. Though I didn’t know him well, I wish I did.
Years ago when I moved here, as many activists do, I had an axe to grind with the police. The police, as the enforcement arm of the state, were obviously the bad guys. However, as one of the original Cop Blockers, (Badge #5) out in the streets as often as I was, it didn’t take me long to begin connecting with the Keene police as fellow human beings (instead of mindless statist automatons, which is easy for us libertarians to think about police if we don’t know them). The most memorable early paradigm-shifting encounter was my ride-along with KPD’s Shane Maxfield, nearly a decade ago.
At various different activist events in Keene, (the home of Cop Block) I encountered Brian Costa on multiple occasions, who prior to becoming chief was one of KPD’s two captains. However, due to him being a captain, his responsibilities were more management than they were patrol, so our contact was fairly limited at that time.
Meanwhile, Costa’s predecessor as chief, Ken Meola had gone from having breakfast monthly with Sam Dodson and me, to pretending like I didn’t exist for years after the drinking game arrests.
Imagine my pleasant surprise then, when one day shortly after Brian’s appointment as Keene police chief, I was standing out in Central Square, distracted by something on my phone. As I looked up from my device, there he was right in front of me! Brian was dressed in his full Keene police uniform, as any other patrol officer would be. He explained that he’d seen me from his walk downtown and he wanted to introduce himself.
I’ll always remember that about him. I was struck by how humble he appeared. Not only was he not above walking the streets like any other KPD officer, but that he would take time to come over and say hello was really impressive. I was happy to meet him officially and grateful to be treated like a human being by KPD’s chief for the first time in years.
Then, early in 2016, Brian called me out of the blue and asked me for help. There was a bad batch of heroin that had been hitting the streets and leading to overdoses. He had reached out to me as the publisher of Free Keene (Keene’s most popular blog and a Google news source), hoping that I would help get the word out about the bad batch of drugs. Of course I would. Though I’m against the war on drugs and it was Brian’s job to enforce it, we found common ground in the goal of harm reduction. I told him I’d get on it, thanked him for thinking of me, and immediately published this article about the bad dope. When I share goals with someone, despite our differences, I’m willing to work with them to accomplish our common goals. This builds bridges between people on opposite sides of other issues, increasing the likelihood of further communication and a growing mutual respect. Brian understood this, and he earned my respect by being a decent person.
Now, he’s gone from this world, and WAY too soon. Whoever is chosen as his permanent replacement has some BIG shoes to fill. I really wish I could have gotten to know Brian better. I feel like I missed out. (more…)
by Pete Eyre | Jul 24, 2013
Transparency helps bring-about accountability. Individuals, not agencies, are responsible for actions.
This information on this page was brought-about by individuals who recognize that and from the KPD roster.
We choose to share it in an effort to live in a better community
_______________________
KEENE POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS
Keene Police Department
400 Marlboro Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03431
_______________________
Kevin Baca
officer
kbaca@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7215
Posts tagged “Kevin Baca” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Kevin Baca” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Matthew Bomberg
officer
mbomberg@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7203
Posts tagged “Matthew Bomberg” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Matthew Bomberg” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Peter Bowers
officer Suspended For DUI
pbowers@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7187
Posts tagged “Peter Bowers” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Peter Bowers” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jim Cemorelis
Sergeant Officer
jcemorelis@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7117
Posts tagged “James Cemorelis” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “James Cemorelis” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Joel Chidester
officer
jchidester@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7214
Posts tagged “Joel Chidester” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Joel Chidester” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Lesley Collier
officer
lcollier@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7198
Posts tagged “Lesley Collier” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Lesley Collier” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Robert Collinsworth
detective
rcollinsworth@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7053
Posts tagged “Robert Collinsworth” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Robert Collinsworth” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Steven Corrigan
officer
scorrigan@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7138
Posts tagged “Steven Corrigan” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Steven Corrigan” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Brian Costa
Chief of Police as of June 2015
bcosta@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7111
Posts tagged “Brian Costa” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Brian Costa” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
TJ Derendal
sergeant
tderendal@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7151
Posts tagged “TJ Derendal” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “TJ Derendal” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Linda Desruisseaux
parking enforcement officer
ldesruisseaux@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7145
Posts tagged “Linda Desruisseaux” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Linda Desruisseaux” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Josh English
K9 officer
jenglish@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7163
Posts tagged “Joshua English” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Joshua English” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Kevin Gena
officer
kgena@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7204
Posts tagged “Kevin Gena” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Kevin Gena” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Michael C. Goodchild
officer
mcgoodchild@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7154
Posts tagged “Michael Goodchild” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Michael Goodchild” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Matt Griffin
Bycicle officer
mgriffin@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7182
Posts tagged “Matt Griffin” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Matt Griffin” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Daniel Hackler
dispatcher
dhackler@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7070
Posts tagged “Daniel Hackler” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Daniel Hackler” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Barry Hilton
traffic safety specialist / animal control officer
bhilton@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7045
Posts tagged “Barry Hilton” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Barry Hilton” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Dan Hurley
officer
dhurley@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7192
Posts tagged “Dan Hurley” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Dan Hurley” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Michael “Pepper” Kopcha
sergeant
mkopcha@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7188
Posts tagged “Michael Kopcha” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Michael Kopcha” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Randal LaCoste
community Liaison
rlacoste@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7044
Posts tagged “Randal LaCoste” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Randal LaCoste” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Steven LaMears
detective
slamears@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7205
Posts tagged “Steven LaMears” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Steven LaMears” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
James Lamoureux
High school liaison officer
jlamoureux@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7171
Posts tagged “James Lamoureux” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “James Lamoureux” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Todd Lawrence
lieutenant
tlawrence@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7123
Posts tagged “Todd Lawrence” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Todd Lawrence” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Don Lundin
detective
dlundin@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7172
Posts tagged “Don Lundin” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Don Lundin” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Kelvin J. Macie
accreditation specialist
kjmacie@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7037
Posts tagged “Kyle Macie” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Kyle Macie” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Kyle Macie
College Liaison officer
kmacie@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7191
Posts tagged “Kyle Macie” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Kyle Macie” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Shane Maxfield
lieutenant
smaxfield@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7083
Posts tagged “Shane Maxfield” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Shane Maxfield” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
James McLaughlin
lieutenant/detective
jmclaughlin@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7034
Posts tagged “James McLaughlin” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “James McLaughlin” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jane McDermott
parking enforcement officer
jmcdermott@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7211
Posts tagged “Jane McDermott” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jane McDermott” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Ken “Kenny” Meola
FORMER chief Retired June 2015
kmeola@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7033
Posts tagged “Kenneth Meola” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Kenneth Meola” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Christopher Milton
dispatcher
cmilton@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7147
Posts tagged “Christopher Milton” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Christopher Milton” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Fintan Moore
officer
fmoore@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7121
Posts tagged “Fintan Moore” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Fintan Moore” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Benjamin Nugent
officer
bnugent@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7174
Posts tagged “Benjamin Nugent” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Benjamin Nugent” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Michael O’Donnell
detective
modonnell@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7178
Posts tagged “Michael O’Donnell” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Michael O’Donnell” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Tim Peloquin
officer
tpeloquin@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7029
Posts tagged “Tim Peloquin” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Tim Peloquin” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Eric Pouliot
officer
epouliot@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7209
Posts tagged “Eric Pouliot” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Eric Pouliot” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jennifer Ramey
detective Rape Assault Victims Unit
jramey@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7158
Posts tagged “Jennifer Ramey” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jennifer Ramey” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Steven Russo
captain
srusso@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7140
Posts tagged “Steven Russo” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Steven Russo” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
William Sargent
property officer
wsargent@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7085
Posts tagged “William Sargent” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “William Sargent” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jason Short
Prosecutor sergeant
jshort@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7122
Posts tagged “Jason Short” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jason Short” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Chris Simonds
sergeant
csimonds@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7180
Posts tagged “Chris Simonds” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Chris Simonds” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jonathan Stewart
officer
jstewart@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7084
Posts tagged “Jonathan Stewart” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jonathan Stewart” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Steven Stewart
lieutenant
sstewart@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7156
Posts tagged “Steven Stewart” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Steven Stewart” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Steven Tenney
lieutenant
stenney@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7142
Posts tagged “Steven Tenney” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Steven Tenney” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jason Thompson
Property officer
jthompson@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7176
Posts tagged “Jason Thompson” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jason Thompson” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Bruce Uhas
officer
buhas@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7090
Posts tagged “Bruce Uhas” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Bruce Uhas” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Elizabeth Uhas
officer
euhas@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7118
Posts tagged “Elizabeth Uhas” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Elizabeth Uhas” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Collin Zamore
officer
czamore@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7186
Posts tagged “Collin Zamore” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Collin Zamore” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Katie Zamore (Corbett)
Former college liaison officer
kzamore@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7197
Posts tagged “Katie Zamore” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Katie Zamore” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
KEENE POLICE DEPARTMENT NON-OFFICERS
Joanna Balcom
dispatcher
jbalcom@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7063
Posts tagged “Joanna Balcom” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Joanna Balcom” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Sheryl Beckta
administrative specialist
sbeckta@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7137
Posts tagged “Sheryl Beckta” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Sheryl Beckta” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Margo Best
police records specialist
mbest@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7181
Posts tagged “Margo Best” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Margo Best” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jeanette Casna
police records specialist
jcasna@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7166
Posts tagged “Jeanette Casna” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jeanette Casna” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Pat Gagnon
police records specialist
pgagnon@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7165
Posts tagged “Pat Gagnon” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Pat Gagnon” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jean Kilham
prosecutor
jkilham@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7050
Posts tagged “Jean Kilham” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jean Kilham” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Ginger Reyes (Hill)
parking enforcement supervisor
greyes@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7100
Posts tagged “Ginger Reyes” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Ginger Reyes” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Diane Theall
records manager
dtheall@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7013
Posts tagged “Diane Theall” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Diane Theall” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Anmarie Wilson
dispatcher
awilson@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7110
Posts tagged “Anmarie Wilson” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Anmarie Wilson” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Pamela Zinn
dispatcher
pzinn@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7199
Posts tagged “Pamela Zinn” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Pamela Zinn” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
FORMER KPD EMPLOYEES
Alan Givetz
former Parking Enforcement Officer
Date of Departure: July 2013
agivetz@ci.keene.nh.us
603.357.9813 x7212
Posts tagged “Alan Givetz” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Alan Givetz” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Peter “Sturdy” Thomas
former captain, current town lacky and busybody
Town of Dublin Selectmen and Volunteer Fire Man
Posts tagged “Peter Thomas”” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Peter Thomas” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________
Jack Zeller
former detective, lost 2012 cheshire county sheriff Bid
Posts tagged “Jack Zeller”” at KeeneCopBlock.org
Posts tagged “Jack Zeller” at FreeKeene.com
_______________________