New Hampshire law enforcement lost one of its most colorful legends this past week when retired State Police Colonel Paul F. O’Leary of Rochester passed away at the age of 89. His death signaled the end of an era; a time when New Hampshire was full of working family farms, small textile mills and a budding tourism industry. Life seemed so much simpler back then.
The Colonel was a city kid from Massachusetts. He grew up in Neponset, an Irish neighborhood abutting South Boston, the only child of Irish parents. He was a gregarious Irishman, full of charm and wit and a twinkle in his eye. But those characteristics were tempered with his ability to instill fear into the hearts of those around him with his imposing height and his booming voice.
His education took him to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where he attended Brewster Academy and played football. He loved Wolfeboro so much he stayed there and joined the Wolfeboro Police Department after a military stint. He also met his wife in Wolfeboro, a local gal by the name of Lucia Jutras, to whom he was married to for 68 years. In 1953 he joined the New Hampshire State Police at the behest of his mentor, State Police Sgt. Ernie Swift, who commanded the Troop E Barracks in Carroll County.
The State Police assigned him to Troop A, Strafford and Rockingham counties, and he moved to Darrel Street in Rochester, where he stayed until his death last week. He and Lucia raised their 5 children in Rochester — a place that he loved because to him it was the best place in New Hampshire to raise a family.
There were many demands on troopers of his era. Days off with your family were few and far between, you were frequently called out in the middle of the night to handle a call and you always worked long hours for very low pay. Frequently you found yourself in harm’s way, working alone or assisting the few local police or sheriffs also on duty in the area. New Hampshire’s rural nature was attractive for tourism with the many lakes, mountains and the seacoast. It was also attractive to the occasional thugs who thought that there were very few if any law enforcement officers in the state making it a safe place to hide out or to commit an occasional crime.
O’Leary’s skill and professionalism were recognized early on within the State Police. He advanced quickly through the ranks to corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major and lieutenant colonel. His body of work and his work ethic were legendary around the state and his ability to lead was second to none. His reputation as a trooper was that of a fearless guy who was always prepared for whatever came his way. He never backed away from anything. He was always most proud of protecting the citizens that he served and he relished being a part of the rural New Hampshire law enforcement community. Right to the end he always considered himself a “country cop."
As a lieutenant, the Troop A commander, he also oversaw the State Police detachment that was assigned to Hampton Beach after the riots in the 1960s. He played a leading role in quelling the riots at Laconia’s Weirs Beach during the riots of the motorcycle weekends in the '60s and he also played a major role in managing the demonstrations in Seabrook during the construction of the nuclear power plant. Ultimately, Governor Hugh Gallen was impressed with O’Leary’s ability, knowledge and command presence. Gallen appointed him to be the 5th director or dolonel of the N.H. State Police in 1982.
Paul O’Leary was a guy who believed strongly in the rule of law and accountability. He was a stickler for being “by the book” and was a voracious reader of court decisions of both the state and U.S. Supreme Courts. He could cite case law and give legal quotes better than anyone I ever knew. As a trooper, I attended many of his lectures on search and seizure, arrest law, drunken driving law and a host of other legal doctrines. When he spoke you listened, you could hear a pin drop. He had a habit of snapping his fingers and pointing at people to answer questions while lecturing on case law. If he called on you to answer a question during a lecture you prayed that you had the right answer. More importantly you had better have been paying attention! In the end you came away from his lectures a little smarter and a better policeman.
His reputation was that of a “task master” who always insisted that you “look like a trooper and act like a trooper.” Words that troopers heard him say hundreds of times. He demanded excellence of himself and he had an undying commitment “to serve and to protect.” That was also something he expected of everyone who wore the badge of the NH State Police. You could say he was demanding of his people and that was true, but only part of the truth. He was a guy who was passionate. Passionate about family, passionate about keeping the public safe and passionate about “doing the right thing."
But to those who knew him, they knew that his real passion was for the New Hampshire State Police itself. Something he lived from 1953 until his death last Sunday. He was without a doubt the proudest member of the department, ever. Even in retirement, for 30 years he kept close tabs on everything that went on within the NH State Police. He was the biggest supporter for its successes and the biggest critic if he felt its leaders failed. However, he would never criticize a trooper for doing his or her job. There was nothing that he admired more than seeing a trooper stop a car on the highway or making an arrest or just being visible to the public while parked along one of the state’s roads. He lived for news stories of troopers solving serious crimes or arresting bad people and he marveled at the work of State Police investigators.
But in the end it was the example he set, the trails that he blazed and the guidance that he gave that will live on in the New Hampshire State Police. I had the honor of knowing and working for him for 44 years. My last conversation with him a few days before his death was to thank him for all that he had done. His journey is over, but his life’s work lives on in the men and women of the New Hampshire State Police.
Kevin O'Brien lives in Stratham and is a retired state trooper.