concord Police Officer Remains on Unpaid Leave as Internal Investigation Continues 10 Months After Acquittal
Concord, NH – Ten months after being acquitted of assault charges, Concord Police Officer Richard Cobb remains on unpaid leave while an internal investigation into his conduct continues.The investigation stems from two incidents in march and April of 2023 involving the use of force, and has drawn scrutiny regarding the extent of power afforded to law enforcement.
Cobb was placed on administrative leave on May 1, 2023, following notification from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office of a criminal investigation into alleged inappropriate conduct related to use-of-force incidents on March 26th and April 1st. He received pay for the first week of his leave, but has been on unpaid leave since.
The first incident, on April 1, 2023, occurred at a Storrs Street pizza shop after a report of a man, later identified as Blake Haney, muttering about shooting an “invisible person,” according to Assistant Attorney General Dan Jimenez’s opening statement during the trial. The interaction escalated as Haney struggled with officers attempting to handcuff him. Cobb testified he feared Haney’s partially secured handcuff could become a weapon and knocked him to the ground, resulting in facial lacerations.
The second incident, occurring a week prior, involved Cobb using an arm bar against one woman and a leg sweep against another after they made physical contact with him, as detailed in an affidavit he submitted.
A jury ultimately acquitted Cobb of assault charges, requiring them to determine whether he had exceeded the permissible use of force given a reasonable belief of danger.However,the internal investigation by the Concord Police Department remains ongoing.
deputy Chief Barrett Moulton declined to comment on the status of the internal investigation, characterizing it as an “ongoing personnel issue.”
Cobb began his employment with the Concord Police Department in 2017 after serving in the military, where he received a Purple Heart in 2008 for “wounds received in action.” A 119-page personnel file obtained through a right-to-know request revealed no prior instances of use-of-force or disciplinary issues, though the possibility exists that such records were withheld pending the current investigation. Notably, the file lacks any performance reviews for Cobb.
A bystander to the Sal’s Pizza incident testified during the trial that she believed Cobb “was going to kill” Haney, but this testimony was later stricken from the record.
It remains unclear whether Cobb would choose to return to the police force even if reinstated.
