Nashua police chief resigns for new job

By Jennifer Lantz, reporter@nhtrib.com

Nashua’s police chief is leaving his hometown and is headed east.

Paul Becthold turned in his letter of resignation to the Nashua City Council Tuesday night after accepting a position as the new police chief in West Union earlier in the day.

Many of the residents of the community who attended the meeting were upset they will be losing their police chief, who was described by one person as “a valuable police officer, a friend and active community member.”

“I am looking to advance my career,” said Becthold. “The town is thriving and everyone’s welcoming.”

He said the decision to move away from his hometown was not taken lightly, but he felt that West Union presented good opportunities for him and his family.

His last day in Nashua will be Oct. 13.

Becthold graduated from Nashua High School and worked with his father, Wesley, in the family plumbing business for years before joining the Nashua Police Department in 2002.

He was promoted to police chief in 2014, and he also started Becthold Plumbing and Heating.

Becthold has been involved with the Nashua-Plainfield Elementary School with the Officer Friendly Program, the annual bike Rodeo, Star Student and the Safety Patrol in which Nashua-Plainfield schoolchildren receive bicycle helmets.

He also has been a consistent community volunteer.

After accepting Becthold’s resignation, the City Council appointed Travis Marvin as interim police chief.

“I am supportive of Paul and he is doing what’s best for him and his family,” Marvin said. “I believe he is making an appropriate decision.”

But Marvin said Monday night that he, too, has applied for a different position outside of Chickasaw County so he would not commit to a certain time length for the new position.

Earlier this summer, a group of Nashua residents asked the City Council to look into either reducing the size of the Police Department or eliminating it altogether and contracting with an outside agency to provide law enforcement for the city.

Numerous residents have spoken in favor of the current setup, but rumors began almost immediately that the current officers were seeking jobs elsewhere.