By Ed Pierce
As a patrol officer for the Windham Police Department, Officer Tim Denman knows that each time he puts on his uniform, he is taking on risks to protect others in the community and it’s a huge responsibility that he’s willing to accept.
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| Patrol Officer Tim Denman has been a member of the Windham Police Department for three years and is originally from Springfield, New Hampshire. He is also a U.S. Army veteran, serving six years on active duty with the military police at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and at Kaiserslautern, Germany. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
“The best thing about what I do are the times where I have felt that my presence and response to a call have truly helped someone or kept them safe,” Denman said. “I also enjoy interacting with members of the community and learning about the area as I am not originally a Mainer.”
According to Denman, the most challenging aspect of his work is answering calls that might have little to nothing to do with typical police issues and trying to give someone the proper direction and resources to help them without seeming dismissive.
“I believe the biggest misconception people may have about this line of work is thinking that all police do revolves around traffic stops and writing tickets,” he said. “There is a multitude in types of calls and tasks that we are responsible for, and no shift is ever the same.”
He was born and raised in Springfield, New Hampshire with a population of 1,259.
“A fun fact, growing up, Springfield’s town office, public library, kindergarten, and police department were all located in one small building,” Denman said. “I attended Kearsarge Regional High School and later attended New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI). I have an associate’s degree in criminal justice and am working on finishing a bachelor’s degree in criminology.”
Always having had an interest in law enforcement, Denman worked at an internship while attending NHTI for the Claremont, New Hampshire Police Department and was later hired as a part-time dispatcher there.
“After dispatching for two years, I then joined the U.S. Army and served six years active duty with the military police serving mostly at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and Kaiserslautern, Germany.”
When Denman left military service and moved to Maine, he says that one of the first towns he became familiar with was Windham.
“During my hiring process, I had a ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling about the department overall and I felt like it was a good fit for me,” he said. “I was impressed by the Public Safety Building and thought the department was well equipped.”
His most memorable moments working for the Windham Police Department are numerous.
“What I reflect on most are the calls that both the Windham Fire Department and the Windham Police Department work together on,” Denman said. “I truly believe we have some of the best first responders in Windham and there isn’t much we can’t handle.”
One thing that the public may not know about his job, Denman said, is that there are many misconceptions about police work and there are very few times where things are “black and white.”
“There are many ‘gray’ areas and technicalities that need to be recognized,” he said. “Also, policing has changed drastically over the past few decades and is constantly evolving. It’s the kind of job that you need to do to truly experience what modern police deal with day to day. I think my family and friends are proud of me for doing the job. They give me a lot of support and have always kept me motivated.”
He says that of everything he has learned while working for the Windham Police Department, one aspect stands out above the rest.
“The most important thing I’ve learned while working for Windham Police Department is to remember my training and to retain as much as I can from my peers and superiors. There is a ton of experience within. <
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