HAMPTON -- Deputy Chief William Wrenn, who was appointed Acting Police Chief following the resignation of Robert Mark, came to Hampton Beach from Haverhill, Massachusetts for summer vacations over two years ago. He was then attending Northeastern University, studying law enforcement. Wrenn was impressed with the Hampton Police Department's summer force and how they handled the beach. He applied for a part-time job in June 1974, got it and is still here. He was appointed a full-time officer in December of that year and continued his college education part-time until he received his bachelor degree in law enforcement.

Following his appointment to the police department, he attended the Police Academy, the FBI Academy for police management, and continued in school, working toward a degree in law. In December he will receive his Juris Doctor degree from the Massachusetts School of Law. "I don't think I have ever worked just a forty-hour week here [the police department], and have had to bite my nails quite a few times worrying if I had studied enough for final exams," said the acting chief.

When he was asked if he would want the full-time chief's position, he said, "It is my understanding that the selectmen and the town manager will conduct a nationwide search and testing process, but yes, I have prepared myself for the position through school and working up the ladder in just about all positions for the past twenty years. I have thought about it [law enforcement] and about law practice for some time and feel I am ready for a chief's position."

"The transition went smoothly," Wrenn said, regarding his becoming acting chief. He doesn't plan any major changes and will continue to work through the budget process with which he is familiar. In his position as the administrative deputy, he worked very closely with Chief Mark, and one of the strengths that made the selectmen choose him was his familiarity with that process.