Before Dana Flanders II decided to enter law enforcement, he thought he wanted to become a teacher. But by the end of college – Flanders studied physical education and played offensive line on the Plymouth State University football team – he began to realize his heart was no longer in it.

The Rochester native entered a workforce still reeling from the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. After an insurance company reneged on a job offer, Flanders – who had strong police officer role models in his hometown growing up – decided becoming a patrolman could be a good and practical fit.

“I just looked for something that I thought was gonna be recession-proof and stable,” he said. “And I figured a government job – the check’s always gonna clear, so I tried it.”

That was 13 years ago. Flanders, now 39, got his start in the Epsom Police Department in 2011. On his first night, at the exact moment then-Sergeant Brian Michael directed Flanders to “always keep your head on a swivel”, the pair drove by a domestic assault-in-progress on the side of the road.

“It all happened right away. That I’ll never forget,” recalled Flanders, who was sworn in as Loudon’s new chief of police last week.

Flanders, who has served as acting chief since May, will take over for Kris Burgess, who resigned that month to take a job as an officer in Gilmanton.

Burgess started as Loudon’s chief in 2016. In a resignation letter submitted to the Board of Selectmen, he wrote that he did not “believe I was ever given a fair chance to succeed as a Chief.”

Burgess has declined requests to comment on why he left. Board of Selectmen Chair Jeff Miller said in an interview that “support [from the Board] was not the issue, if there was any issues.”

“I wish he hadn’t left, but he chose to resign the position and move on to a new law enforcement department,” Miller said.

Flanders said in an interview Monday that he and Burgess remain “great friends.” He also said he has a good relationship with the selectmen who hired him.

Flanders came to Loudon about four years ago after a six-year stint at the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office, where he worked in the transport division, as an investigator, and undercover in narcotics. A trained polygraph examiner, he also incorporated the lie detection technique into his work.

After current Sheriff David Croft was elected in 2020, Flanders, a Loudon resident, decided it was time to get back to his roots in small-town policing.

“I think part of what it came down to is my town needed me more than Merrimack County did,” he said.

The department was short-staffed at the time, a challenge that has persisted in Loudon and in many police departments across the region.

Currently, the department of 14 uniformed and administrative employees has three vacancies, two for full-time patrolmen and one for Flanders’ former position. The staffing shortage has forced the officers on staff to work more and has led the department to triage some law enforcement responsibilities, including traffic enforcement.

One of the two patrolman openings has been filled and the new employee will begin shortly, Flanders said. For the other position, the department is in the midst of conducting a background investigation for a candidate, while Flanders hopes to promote internally to fill the position he vacated.

Small-town departments like Loudon’s compete against bigger departments in the area that can often pay more and offer significant sign-on bonuses.

Flanders’ pitch to potential recruits focuses on the support the department receives from the community and the varied opportunities that often arise in a small-town department.

“We don’t currently have a detective,” he said. “So if you catch a theft case, you’ve got the chance to actually do your follow-ups and work on that case. When you go to a bigger agency, you may just take that call, kick it up to detective and move on.”

The pitch of course also mentions the annual NASCAR race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the single biggest sporting event in New Hampshire every year.

The department begins collaborating with other agencies for the summer race in April. Around 100 members of law enforcement work the race, Flanders estimated.

Selectman Miller said Flanders’ success managing this year’s race was one reason he was picked for the top cop job.

“Shortly after the race, we got numerous letters praising his leadership and for making the race go off without a hitch,” Miller said. “The officers felt the same way.”

In addition to fully staffing the department, Flanders values involvement with the community, including at Loudon Elementary School. He also hopes to increase traffic enforcement on Route 106, particularly after two fatal accidents this summer.

“We want to be involved in the community; we want to do what’s best for the community,” Flanders said. “I want to hear about the speeding complaint that somebody has. I want somebody to feel comfortable enough to call the police department instead of just saying, ‘Oh, well, they’re too busy.’”

That’s the same type of policing that led Flanders to meet one of his role models, Rochester Police Chief Gary Boudreau, who helped coach Flanders in football at Spaulding High School back in the day while serving as a school resource officer.

“Getting to know him as a teenager and stuff, he was always a leader amongst his peers,” said Boudreau. “He’s done the same thing throughout his career, and I think he’ll do an excellent job for the people of Loudon and of all of his staff members.”