Constable and Police Chief

RV- When were you first Constable?

Nineteen twenty.. That's all the police we had was the constables... I'm still Constable in 1975.. So I finished fifty five years . This starts fifty-six. Well, the second year I didn't want to run as Constable.. The chairman of the Selectmen made a great speech about the poor job the constables were doing and so forth..

RV- When was this?

Nineteen twenty-one this would have been.. Jimmy Chickering was the Moderator at that time and he was serving as chairman for the Caucus.. so I said I don't want my votes counted. I don't want to run again. So I don't think I ran that year, but Jim McGill was Selectman.. He appointed me special police . and I didn't want to take it. He says..Oh, you're the only name I suggested the other two would go along with. (Laughs) So I took it so I've really been on the police... ever since 1920. But I've been Constable every other year but that one..

Chet Heinlein was Dover's
first Police Chief

RV- When were you Chief?

There's nothing in the records will show when I was appointed Acting Chief.. Cause I went to Carl Bryant and I said I'd like to get sworn in as Acting Chief.

He says, "You don't need it you're sworn in as Constable, that's enough."

So there'd be nothing in the records and I never could find the letter that Charlie Cabot sent me telling me I was appointed Acting Chief. Those days he wrote it in longhand and mailed it and I had it and I don't know what I ever did with it.

But then.. I dug it all out here a few years ago. Back in the fifties..when.. Tom McGill was on the Board... Cabot wanted to appoint me Chief then ... make it a Chief's job and the other two selectmen wouldn't go along. They wanted to keep the power in the Selectmen's office. So that's when Cabot appointed me Acting Chief.

And so I said to him, "Does that give me the right to wear the gold badge?"

And he says, "Absolutely."

So then it run along and when Tom McGill was on the Board he wanted to appoint me Chief and one of the other Selectmen says, "No. Keep the hand on the handle of the whip. Keep the power right here."

"Well," Tom says, "Chet does all the dirty work he ought to have the title as well."

Well... that must have been back in the early fifties at least. And went along for one year and the next year Pratt got off the Board and Walter Baldwin come on and it was the same story. Walter didn't want to appoint me. But the other two did so I was on. But you're only on for one year here. as Chief... Any police officer is only appointed for one year here.