Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit

Statistics have shown that a well trained and equipped team handling high risk calls or critical incidents, greatly increases the likelihood that the situation will be resolved successfully. This intern minimizes the risk of life or injury to civilians and the police officers who protect them.

The Pembroke Police Department is a member agency. The Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit is a regional law enforcement team made up of police officers who receive specialized training from some of the top law enforcement agencies in the country in SWAT Tactics, Critical Incident Management and Crisis Negotiations. 

The CNHSOU was formed in 2002 to give area police departments additional resources which would be available to them in an emergency situation. The Unit works in a system that is similar to a fire department mutual aid system, where communities assist each other in an emergency. The Unit responds to hostage rescue situations, high risk warrant services and heavily armed suspects. The CNHSOU is also available for crowd control, dignitary protection, and can assist with the search for missing or wanted persons. The team offers a wide variety of resources including detective services, hostage negotiators, specialized equipment and armored vehicles. 

The CNHSOU has 25 member towns in the Grafton County area. During 2007, police departments throughout Merrimack County worked together to associate themselves with this organization as well. The Town of Pembroke along with Allenstown, Concord, Chichester, Loudon, Pittsfield,  New London, Sutton and the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department have joined this organization in order to provide a tactical response resource to all the communities involved.