April 19, 2007 | Read Time: 6 minutes
During nearly three decades as a police officer, Jerome K. Madden saw firsthand the toll
that social problems and crime took on young people. Now Mr. Madden, who spent the last five years of his law-enforcement career as police chief in Concord, N.H., is trying to help troubled youth before they end up in the back of a police cruiser.
Mr. Madden, 49, is executive director of the Friends Program, a Concord charity that provides social services to youths, elderly people, and homeless families.
“As police officers, we would see the result of drugs and alcohol, bad family situations, and domestic disputes,” Mr. Madden says. “It always struck me that we were putting out the fire rather than dealing with the issue at its core, before it was too late. Of course, that’s easier said than done.”
He took over at the Friends Program last month, in the wake of the retirement last September of the charity’s longtime director. The group, which employs 15 full-time and 14 part-time workers, serves 4,000 people in seven counties on a budget of $1.5-million. Its corps of 850 volunteers supplements the work of the paid staff.
Mr. Madden, who is paid $75,000 in his new job, was unanimously selected from a field of more than 90 applicants, says Gerald Eaton, president of the charity’s Board of Trustees. Of the seven finalists interviewed, all but Mr. Madden and a local businessman had experience leading or running programs for nonprofit organizations, says Mr. Eaton.
Mr. Eaton said he was initially concerned that Mr. Madden would have developed a leadership style in law enforcement that was too rigid and regimented to lead a nonprofit organization. However, Mr. Eaton says, over the course of the interview process, the candidate put those concerns to rest.
“Jerry impressed me as being down-to-earth and not someone who simply runs organizations by a strict code of conduct,” he says. “He emphasized independence for his employees. He stressed that, leading the police department, he usually hired college grads with liberal-arts degrees because he wanted officers who could think and who were well-rounded people.”
The fact that Mr. Madden “has seen the underside of the community” suggests he fully understands the social problems in Concord and will tackle them with practical solutions, Mr. Eaton says.
Mr. Madden also brings with him extensive community and political contacts — a factor Mr. Eaton said would be beneficial as the Friends Program gears up its fund-raising efforts. The group currently receives about 70 percent of its money from government sources, says Mr. Madden, and would like to increase gifts from individuals and corporations because of the vulnerability of government aid.
Mr. Madden says he hopes to reach out to his former colleagues in law enforcement and local social-service organizations to support needy people in the community.
“I could have found a job that was less challenging and probably made more money, but this feels right,” Mr. Madden says. “I wanted to go into another productive career.”
In an interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Madden discussed his career switch.
What prompted you to make this move?
It was really a case of good timing. I learned this position was open and it seemed like an interesting opportunity. I’ve been involved with nonprofit boards in the Concord area for years.
I told my wife about a year ago, “Don’t be surprised if, when I look to change jobs, it’s in the nonprofit world.” I was content in what I was doing, but I had a good career and I’m leaving the police department in good shape. I wouldn’t want to leave at a time in crisis. To be honest, I don’t see this move as that much of a crossover. I want to do good works for the people in the community, which is what I tried to accomplish as a police officer.
How will your law-enforcement experience benefit the Friends Program?
I’m hoping to forge some relationships that didn’t exist in the past. Connecting public-safety folks with social-service agencies has some real potential. We have families out there that, when they are facing a crisis, ask a 23-year-old police officer how to deal with their 12-year-old. I’d be kidding you if I said those officers knew all the resources in the community that could provide help. That’s a gap I think we can fill.
In what area do you hope to make the most significant impact?
Hopefully, helping young people. I dealt with juvenile investigations years ago and that always stayed with me in terms of wishing we could have done more. We see a lot of kids make wrong decisions. If someone is not there to give them guidance, they find themselves in the system. And once you’re in the system, it’s very hard to get out. I’d like to think there are things we can do to keep kids out of that system. I’m a big believer in connecting with the schools to reach kids early.
A local police chief is a high-profile job. How will your connections benefit your new role?
I’m realizing that I know more people than I thought I did. I’ve been involved in the community a long time and I’ve had good relations with City Council and officials at the state level. I am hoping that those past relationships serve me well. I’d like to think my reputation is such that when Icome knocking on doors, I have credibility.
What do you see as your biggest challenge, going from law enforcement to leading a nonprofit organization?
I would say the fund-raising side. I don’t have a lot of experience with that, so there will be a learning curve there. For me, it will come down to getting a better understanding of what we do. I’ll be getting out to meet with our staff and doing a lot of listening. People these days are willing to give to a good cause, but they get pulled a lot of different directions. I’m not uncomfortable going out and asking people for money. I am kind of looking forward to it, because I feel strongly about the need.
What do you hope you accomplish during your tenure?
I want to leave the organization in better shape than it was when I started. The organization is in fine shape right now, but I’m not satisfied with maintaining the status quo. I’m not looking to expand programs considerably. It’s more about doing what we do very, very well. It’s too important not to do that. I don’t believe in doing anything halfway.
