Six days. That's how long it took for the Swanzey Police Chief Joseph Gonsalvas to seriously mobilize resources and take decisive action in the search for my missing runaway child. Six excruciating days of uncertainty, anguish, and fear, without the comfort of knowing that those sworn to protect and serve our community were doing everything in their power to bring my child back safe.

The police department, what should be a symbol of trust and immediate response, appeared disorganized and slow to act in our most critical time of need. By day 3 we had ruled out my childs entire circle of known friends and family  but had been told he may have met someone online, which was unsettling, to say the least. We were able to prove he had left the state and had traveled to Boston by day 4. The PDs response to this information was that "Boston PD was difficult to deal with". In the afternoon of day 5 I was told not to get an attitude about the fact they hadn't had time to ping his socials all day, which at the time was the only lead we had. My first interaction with Chief Gonsalvas was on the morning of day 6 when I told him I had contacted the State Police. He scoffed at me and asked "what are they gonna do?" before trying to deny that we had proven he had crossed state lines to justify that they hadn't even issued a BOLO in the area. They still hadn't even investigated his call log which we asked for on day 2. The only urgency I saw, was their willingness to search my house at the 24 hr mark.

We were forced to take our frustrations with the lack of urgency public, creating an outcry from the community and reached out to the county attorney (out of office), the AG and the press before being taken seriously. We believe our child turned himself in on the night of day 6 due to the social media attention. I have little faith that the Swanzey PD would have ever found him, and yet, the Chief claimed he was located and thanked several departments for their cooperation. Even though Manchester Pd refused to even knock on a door to follow a lead and they stated "Boston was difficult to deal with". The only positive impact the department had was putting up a missing persons post on social media that they then failed to keep updated with current information. 

 Swanzey is short staffed with 3 vacant officer positions, a resource officer and both detective positions empty as well. It's a Chiefs duty to recognize these short comings. It was not until the sixth day that they began to engage additional resources, which in such cases, should have been done immediately. This is not just my story; it echoes the anxieties of many families in our community who have felt the same lack of urgency from our local police leadership.

In any law enforcement department, a swift and coordinated response is essential to ensuring the safety and security of our citizens, especially when it involves vulnerable children. The Chief's inability to lead his team in a cohesive effort undermines public trust in our police force and puts our community at risk. Through the scariest week of our lives, we were left feeling cast aside with little compassion or empathy.

We cannot ignore this oversight. Our Police Chief has an obligation to act with urgency and decisiveness, qualities that were glaringly absent when time was of the essence. It's his responsibility to lead his team efficiently. We were passed from officer to officer with every shift change and often information was not passed along. We need leadership that embodies accountability and prompt action.

By signing this petition, you are supporting the call for the immediate resignation of Chief Joseph Gonsalvas. A change in leadership is necessary to restore confidence in our police force and protect the welfare of all families in Swanzey. Join me in demanding the accountability our community deserves. Your signature can make a difference!

#SwanzeyDeservesBetter