Charlie Dennis Named Hanover Police Chief

Charlie Dennis has been named the new chief of the Hanover Police Department. Dennis replaces Nicholas Giaconne, who was with the Hanover Police for over 40 years, 19 of which were as the chief of police.

Dennis has over 28 years of law enforcement experience ranging from Idaho to Arizona to, most recently, Reidsville, North Carolina. He has been the police chief in Reidsville for the past 18 months. While the tenure seems short, Dennis has been looking to move to New England, where his wife has family, for some time.

Prior to serving in Reidsville, Dennis led the Page, Arizona Police Department as police chief for four years. His job, along with those of other town leaders, was cut during the town’s budget crisis in 2012. He sought a position in Hartford, Vermont, but went to North Carolina because he “needed a sure thing, not a possibility.”

Most recently in Reidsville, Dennis oversaw a 59-person police department with a $4.5 million annual budget. In Hanover, Dennis will lead a twenty-person department with a $2 million annual budget.

Although Dennis lacks experience in a college town, he says that his experience in Page has prepared him for the challenges caused by alcohol. Page is adjacent to a Navajo reservation, where the sale of alcohol is prohibited, so he dealt with frequent alcohol issues in Page. And while Hanover will present unique problems compared to Page, Dennis comes prepared with an to attitude address these.  “It’s not about spoiling someone’s fun;” says Dennis, “it’s about saving lives.”

Let’s hope that his time in Page will serve him well. Dennis inherits the leadership of a police department that arrests the highest number of students across the Ivy League.

Charlie Dennis