Amidst the throngs of students, locals and retirees that comprise the breakfast rush on Friday mornings at Lou's, two men occupy the same corner booth every week.
"The chief likes breakfast, and so do I," Director of Safety and Security and College Proctor Harry Kinne said.
Hanover Police Department Chief Nicholas Giaccone and Kinne meet weekly over breakfast to discuss any ongoing investigations and take turns paying the bill, though they sometimes forget whose turn it is to pick up the tab, Kinne said.
In his nine years working with Giaccone, Kinne said the two have established a congenial professional and personal relationship.
"The College and police department don't always agree, but we have always been able to work through any disagreement that has arisen in the past," Kinne said.
In his 17 years as police chief, Giaccone has overseen a massive influx of new technological equipment to the department's offices and squad cars, and he has increased the professionalism and oversight of the department, according to Captain Frank Moran, who has worked with Giaccone for 24 years.
Since joining the department in 1973, Giaccone worked his way up from patrol officer to detective and then to detective sergeant, he said. In 1994, former Hanover Police Chief Kurt Schimke died suddenly of a heart attack, and Giaccone was appointed to the position of acting chief while a national search process for a new police chief ensued, he said.
Giaccone said he enjoyed his job as detective sergeant and initially was not interested in the police chief position, but after enjoying his interim role, he decided to apply. Giaccone was eventually picked over five other candidates, he said.
Coming out of college, Giaccone said he entered police work because he saw it as a career in which there is always "something interesting and somewhat challenging" happening. He found satisfaction in his job because it allowed him to "serve a purpose in life" by providing the community with an important service.
"Each and every day is different," Giaccone said. "You really don't know what's going to happen. You have a general idea, and you feel capable of handling things as they come along."
In his free time, the police chief enjoys the outdoors, going on walks or riding his Harley, he said. So far he has taken three cross-country trips on his motorcycle.
While he is away on such tours, the department tracks the chief's progress on its "Where in the World is Nick Giaccone?" map of the United States, which they pin to Giaccone's office door, Hackett said. Each day Giaccone calls in to report his progress, and the department marks his route across the country on the map, Doug Hackett, Hanover Police Department's communications coordinator, said.
"On nice days you'll see him out on his bike," Hackett said. "By late spring he'll have his motorcycle tan."
Moran said that in the office, Giaccone does not micro-manage but rather lets his staff do their jobs as they see fit. While all major cases and policy decisions go through him, Giaccone has surrounded himself with a staff of capable individuals and has a keen eye for promoting officers to positions that best suit their strengths, Moran said.
"[Giaccone] is not a stickler for details but does want things done professionally, consistently and fairly," Moran said. "He does take on sort of a father position to younger and older guys in the department. He's been a mentor, besides being a boss."
Even in his role as chief, Giaccone is still actively involved in larger investigations and is willing to assist departments that ask for his help, Moran said. In the recent case of over a dozen laptop thefts at Baker-Berry Library, it was Giaccone who spotted the suspects' car after they had changed their license plate from a temporary one to a permanent Vermont plate. This sped up the arrest process and helped the officers recover three-quarters of the stolen laptops, Moran said.
"As a chief, it's unique that he's very willing to assist so much in investigations," he said. "Our department is too big to be small and too small to be big. The chief is always willing to do the grunt work."
One thousand offense reports and 500 arrest reports come through the Hanover Police department every year, Giaccone said. While he does not read every citation the department issues, he does read all of the offense and arrest reports, he said.
Giaccone said the biggest change during his time as chief has been the department's technological advancement. The Hanover Police Department was one of the first departments in New Hampshire to install mobile data systems, Giaccone said. Under Giaccone, the department established a working relationship with a major police software provider in Massachusetts to make sure Hanover Police's technology stays up to date, he said.
"Officers today are pretty much capable of doing everything in their squad car that they could do at their office desks," Giaccone said. "They can type reports, take calls and check missing persons reports or arrest warrants from their cars."
Hackett said that the department's technological improvements under Giaccone have allowed it to increase its law enforcement capabilities without having to hire additional officers at the expense of local taxpayers.
Giaccone has also been actively involved in trying to get New Hampshire's state legislature to change its law prohibiting automated state license plate readers, Hackett said. This technology allows police cruisers to scan license plates on the road against warrants and missing person reports, he said.
In addition to technological progress, Moran said that the department is held to "higher standards and expectations" under Giaccone.
"We're well trained and well prepared to handle what's coming our way," Moran said. "There is more oversight and scrutiny with audio and video records than in the past. Overall we're more professional and more skilled."
At this point in his career, Giaccone could likely retire making the same salary or more by collecting his pension, Moran said. The fact that he chooses to keep working each day indicates that "he has to love it," he said.
