Plaistow Police Chief Jones to Retire After 34 Years on New Hampshire Force

(Courtesy photograph.)

Police Chief Kathleen A. Jones spent the last four years of her career as the Plaistow, N.H. department head. (File photograph)

Plaistow will soon have to fill two vacant town positions in both the fire and police departments, after both of the town’s top first responders announced plans to retire.

On the heels of Fire Chief John McArdle’s decision to step down from his post, Police Chief Kathleen A. Jones said she would also depart by the end of the year. Jones started with the department as a part-time officer in 1984, rising through the ranks to become the chief four years ago.

Reflecting on her career, Jones told WHAV the most rewarding part of her job was handling cases of child abuse while working as a detective, despite the severity of the issue.

“As heartbreaking as that type of case can be, it can also be very rewarding to be able to help some of these kids who just felt like they had nowhere to go and didn’t have a voice,” Jones said.

Jones admitted there were several big challenges during her time with the department, such as recruiting and training new personnel. The biggest challenge, she told WHAV, was fighting back against negative perceptions about police officers held by the public.

“There’s good and bad in every single field, every single career, but there’s so much more good and it’s frustrating sometimes when the bad thoughts of police sort of overshadow that because I have worked with tremendous people through my career who work really hard,” Jones said.