Credit to Mike Cherry, Anchor/Reporter, WMUR - a Hearst Television company.
May 27, 2021, North Haverhill, NH
Since the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, there has been more scrutiny about extremist views and white supremacy, including in the military and law enforcement agencies. But some police and sheriff’s departments in New Hampshire have already been working to make sure their employees do not hold those views.
Sheriff Jeff Stiegler is in his second term as the head of the Grafton County Sheriff's Department. During his tenure, hiring qualified and uncompromised officers has been one of this top priorities.
"We need credible people that can give that compelling testimony when they have to," Stiegler said.
Even in the last few years, that process has evolved.
With society as deeply divided as he can remember, there can be no stone left unturned when it comes to learning whether prospects are affiliated with or show favor to hate groups or extremist ideologies.
"We owe that to the people we're serving that are paying the tax bill to have these people employed," Stiegler said.
To that end, the department takes a deep dive into the digital history of applicants.
"Everyone leaves behind a digital footprint at some time in their life," Justin Charette Combs, forensic examiner in the Grafton County Sheriff's Department, said.
The forensic investigators can scour multiple platforms for multiple usernames at once. What they find online can fluctuate greatly.
"The younger folks, they rely more heavily on social media than somebody that may be in their 60s or 70s. So even though that there's only 5 or 10 years of history of their social media, we may actually have more information because they're publicly putting it out there," Charette said.
Once a digital forensic sweep is conducted, special deputy Todd Cohen steps in. Cohen, a retired sheriff, collects additional information on foot.
"Where they're from, who they are, their associates, what they do," Cohen said.
Cohen will cross-reference a candidate's social media activity with their inner circle.
"Maybe they're associating with a known person who has a questionable reputation," Cohen said. "You may find that an uncle is involved with some sort of hate group and is vocal about it on social media, but the reality of it is when you speak to the candidate they have no affiliation with that relative."
The employee turnover rate at the Grafton County sheriff's department is low, but this department helps multiple agencies perform background checks, including any that may require a polygraph exam.
"We all work together to try and identify certain tendencies or discoveries that would flag an individual as perhaps not having the integrity to do the profession," Deputy Eric Bates, of the Grafton County Sheriff's Department, said.
Polygraph certification requires a three-month, 40-hour-per-week training program.
"Mine is a confirmation of, were you truthful in those responses that you provided the background investigation, or the psychological, or even a meeting directly with the sheriff," Bates said.
Stiegler couldn't recall coming across a candidate with strong affiliations to extremist views during his tenure, but vetting the people he hires for changes in ideology also comes during annual evaluations.
"We come out here, my expectation of my co-workers every day is that they treat everyone equally and without bias. That's our daily objective," Stiegler said.