Francis Weeks

Background

About Francis Weeks

My 26 year career in law enforcement began in law school. Halfway through my studies, I realized everything that interested me about being an attorney, I could do in a law enforcement career. I graduated law school in 1997, took and passed the bar, and was in the NH full-time police academy by summer 1998. Over the years I have been fortunate to have held many positions including patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, community policing coordinator, prosecutor, union steward and SWAT team member. I see my role as a police officer in a bigger context because I studied international human rights law in Argentina. I was in Buenos Aires a little more than a decade after the Falklands War and the collapse of the military dictatorship. The military and police had killed and imprisoned thousands of its citizens for political reasons. I listened to people’s stories about what it’s like to live in a society where there are no civil rights, where it’s an accomplishment just to stay alive. I realized that those who have the power to violate people’s rights are in the best position to protect those same rights. Now in the process of finishing my Masters of Public Administration, I have been exposed to Robert Greenleaf’s books, “Servant Leadership” and “Institution as Servant.” Both of these put my experience in perspective. The totality of which gives me a deeper appreciation for the power invested in the police and how that power can be used for positive change within our communities. The capacity to make a difference is why I continue to be a police officer.