| Call for Service | Does the Police Department do fingerprinting and when can I have my fingerprints done? |
| | - Yes, fingerprinting is done on Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.. There is a $10.00 fee for Dover residents and a $25.00 fee for non-residents.
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| Call for Service | Should I report suspicious activity in my neighborhood? |
| | - The Police Department depends on citizens calling to report crimes or suspicious activity. The dispatcher who takes your call will ask questions about the activity to determine its nature and ask for descriptions of the people involved. You may be asked if an officer or detective may contact you but you may refuse. IF IT SEEMS SUSPICIOUS - REPORT IT. We would rather check out five harmless situations then miss one crime about to happen.
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| Call for Service | Can I make a police report at the police station, or does a police officer have to come to my house? |
| | - You can come to the police station at any time to file a report. The on-duty dispatcher will take some initial information and a patrol officer will come in to take your report. There may be a slight wait depending on the activity at the time; however, the dispatcher will inform you of any time delay.
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| Call for Service | Can I make a police report at any time of day and do I need to make an appointment? |
| | - The Police Department will respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week to requests for police assistance.
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| Call for Service | Why do they ask so many questions when I call the police? |
| | - Receiving dispatchers are trained to try to get as much information as possible to best determine the nature of the problem and its seriousness. On emergency calls, the dispatcher has already sent the information to the officer while asking additional questions.
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| Call for Service | Why did it take so long for the police to come when I called them? |
| | - All requests for police services are assigned to priority based on the seriousness of the incident and the potential for injury or damage to property. At times, calls of less urgent nature must be delayed so that we can respond immediately to emergencies.
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| Career Opportunities | I have a few more questions. Who can I call? |
| | - Sergeant Matthew P. Travaglini, O.I.C., Professional Standards Bureau. (603) 742-4646.
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| Career Opportunities | What kinds of shifts and hours can I expect as a patrol officer? |
| | - Officers assigned to the Field Operations Division (Uniformed Patrol) typically work 10 hour shifts with a 4 on, 3 off schedule. The shifts: days, evenings, and nights rotate approximately every three months. Officers work under a shift bidding system. They bid by seniority for shifts and days off
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| Career Opportunities | Because of budget issues my department laid me off, can I still apply? |
| | - Yes, as long as the agency/organization that you received your full-time certification from still considers you full-time certified and would not require you to obtain any further education or training before allowing you to go back on the street.
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| Career Opportunities | Do I have to start as a patrol officer? |
| | - In a word, yes. While you may have some other specialized training or area of expertise, the department’s experience has been that the best way to gain a complete grasp on how the department works, and how the city uses police resources is from the bottom up. Assignments to other divisions, or to specialized units are merit based, and not linked to seniority.
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| Career Opportunities | Does that mean I won’t have to do PT if I get sent to the academy for the NH law package? |
| | - Yes, but part of the requirement for being granted prior education credit at NHPSTC requires that you meet the same entry level fitness requirements (for your age) as the other recruits at the academy. On a related note, the Dover Police Department has minimum fitness standards that you will be required to meet on a regular basis during the course of your employment.
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| Career Opportunities | If Dover Police Department hires me, will I have to go through the police academy again? |
| | - As it does with all NH law enforcement agencies, the NH Police Standards and Training Council (NHPSTC) determines what out of state certifications (or portions thereof) will or won’t be accepted. NHPSTC does this on a case-by-case basis, only after a department has hired a candidate. Our recent experience has been that out of state officers have been required to attend two weeks of training at the police academy (as day students, dressed in appropriate business attire) to learn NH criminal and motor vehicle law.
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| Career Opportunities | What about laser visual correction like RK, PRK, LASIK, etc.? |
| | - If you have undergone such a procedure, a Night Blindness Test (glare sensitivity) will need to be conducted by a qualified eye care professional to determine if you can be cleared for duty.
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| Career Opportunities | Are there any vision standards I should know about? |
| | - Yes, the NHPSTC has developed a stringent set of standards for sworn officers. You must have binocular vision with a corrected distance vision of 20/30 (Snellen). If you wear glasses you must have uncorrected vision of not worse than 20/200. If you choose to use soft contacts the 20/200 standard is waived. Color perception is required. At a minimum you must be able to correctly read at least nine or more of the first thirteen plates of the 24 plate Edition of the Isihara test.
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| Career Opportunities | Is there a residency requirement? |
| | - Yes. All sworn officers shall reside within thirty (30) minutes travel time at the lawful speed limit from police headquarters
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| Career Opportunities | What about a lateral transfer? |
| | - The Dover Police Department accepts lateral transfers at the rank of patrol officer only. We welcome inquiries from all ranks, but only to fill open patrol officer vacancies.
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| Career Opportunities | Do you hire part-time officers? |
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| Career Opportunities | I am certified as a Reserve Officer/Part-time Officer, does that count? |
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| Career Opportunities | What do you mean by sworn candidates? |
| | - We are looking specifically for full-time certified police officers that are currently employed as police officers in other states or jurisdictions.
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| Career Opportunities | What do you have to do to become a police officer? How do you get in the police academy? |
| | - The hiring process for police officer is highly competitive. Most NH agencies coordinate their own testing of candidates. This generally includes a written and oral exam, medical, fitness test, psychological exam, and polygraph exam. Although state law sets certain minimum educational standards for police officers, successful candidates usually have a college education, military experience or a combination of both. Attendance at the Police Academy is a component of the entry level training provided to all new police officers. To gain admittance to the Police Academy, you must first be hired by a NH Police Agency.
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| Career Opportunities | How do I apply for a position with the Police Department? |
| | - The Dover Police Department accepts applications on an open basis. Generally, entry level testing is conducted every three months throughout the year, although special considerations may be made with regard to the testing of certified candidates.
The Dover Police Department participates in a regional testing process with:
Great Bay Community College
Portsmouth Campus
320 Corporate Drive
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-334-6306 voice
603-334-6308 fax
For additional information, please contact Sergeant Matthew P. Travaglini at 603-742-4646.
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| Jail | How can I find out if someone is in jail, when someone in jail can be visited and any other information about persons in jail? |
| | - The Dover Police Department does not hold people in its jail facility. If we have arrested someone and they are held in jail, they will be held at the Strafford County Jail.
- As Dover is the seat for Strafford County, individuals may be incarcerated by other law enforcement agencies at the Strafford County House of Corrections, County Farm Road (off Sixth Street) in Dover. For specific information on their visitation policies, contact the County Jail at 603-742-3310.
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| Parking | How do the parking officers know if I was there longer than 15 minutes? |
| | - Any vehicle without a receipt is entered into their hand held parking computers and a timer starts. When they come back around and the car is still there, the computer will tell them how long the car has been in that location.
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| Parking | What if I move to the next block to go to a different business? |
| | - The computer will reset the timer at the new location.
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| Parking | What if I go inside a store to get change, will I still get a ticket after I purchase a meter receipt? |
| | - No, if the parking officer recorded your vehicle the first time they came around for not having a receipt, he would not enter your car the next time since it now has a meter receipt.
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| Parking | Do you get 15 minutes after your meter receipt expires? |
| | - No. We do allow some leeway, but not 15 minutes.
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| Parking | Is the short visit exception to buying a meter receipt good at all meters? |
| | - No, it is limited to on-street spaces only. If you are parking in a lot, you need to pay for the entire visit.
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| Parking | Do you get the first 15 minutes free? |
| | - No, if you are parked for “less than” 15 minutes, you do not have to get a meter receipt. If you are their longer, you need to pay for the entire stay. It is more accurate to know this as a “short visit exception” rather than the “first 15 minutes free”.
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| Parking | Can I park in an accessible parking space as long as the person to whom it was issued to is in the car? |
| | - No, if they are not going to or from the car, you must park in a standard parking space.
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| Parking | Can someone in my family use my accessible parking placard if they are running an errand for the person it was issued to? |
| | - No, the placard can only be displayed when the person it was issued to is going to or from the vehicle.
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| Parking | Does a vehicle displaying a accessible parking license plate or accessible parking placard have to pay for parking? |
| | - No, as long as the person for whom the permit issued is going to or from the car.
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| Parking | Where do I go to pay my parking ticket? |
| | - Parking tickets can be paid by mail or in person at the Police Department.
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| Parking | What if I feel a parking ticket was incorrectly issued? |
| | - You may make an appointment to discuss the ticket with the Parking Bureau Manager by calling 603-516-6132. He will review your concerns and make adjustments if appropriate. Also see Parking Violation Appeals.
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| Parking | We have a problem with illegal parking in our neighborhood. What can we do about it? |
| | - Call the Police Department Parking Bureau at 603-516-2277 and request that this area be placed on selective enforcement.
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| Traffic | Where do I go to pay my traffic citation? |
| | - Traffic citations are processed through Dover District Court. If you have any questions about paying for a traffic citation or you would like to set a hearing date, please contact the Dover District Court at (603) 742-7202.
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| Traffic | My friend or relative is overdue returning home. How can I find out if they were in a traffic accident? |
| | - The Police Department Dispatch Center does not have the names of persons involved in accidents available. If a person is injured in an accident and unable to call themselves, we will notify their family.
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| Traffic | We have a problem with speeders in our neighborhood. What can we do about it? |
| | - Call the Police Department Traffic Unit at 603-516-6110 and request that this area be placed on selective enforcement.
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