Community Helps Slain Police Chief's Family

St. Patrick's Day is typically a day to honor Irish heritage or to celebrate with Irish Americans in the hope that a little bit of their Irish luck rubs off.

Many at Locals Restaurant and Pub said, though, that they didn't need any Irish luck because they were "lucky enough just to have known" late Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney, the namesake of a 12-hour St. Patrick's Day benefit bash that drew hundreds of residents and law enforcement officials to North Hampton on Sunday.

Maloney's younger sister Kathleen was one of the individuals who said she was "blessed to have such a great guy" in her life. She said Maloney, a North Hampton resident and Winnacunnet High School alumnus, was also a "great teacher" from whom she learned a lot—including the fact that he likely wouldn't have wanted all the attention on him during his favorite holiday of the year.

Regardless, Kathleen—who just got her first tattoo, a heart with Maloney's "260" badge number, in honor of Maloney's Feb. 2 birthday—said her brother would "smile" if he saw Sunday's standing-room-only crowd, which she said shows how much Maloney meant to the Seacoast.

"I didn't know how many people were a part of it," she said of the "huge extended family" created by Maloney's amicable nature. "I really didn't know how many people he touched until today. It really is amazing. It's really nice to see how the whole community has rallied around him."

Sunday's benefit, the first of an annual event organized by the North Hampton chapter of the New England Police Benevolent Association, was designed to raise money to cover the costs for Maloney's family and members of the Greenland Police Department to attend a special memorial service for Maloney in Washington, D.C., in May.

Maloney's name, along with numerous others, will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, a memorial for officers killed in the line of duty located on three acres of federal park land in D.C.'s Judiciary Square.

Over $3,300 was raised through raffles, T-shirt and sticker sales, and other donations through the first hour of the event Sunday, said North Hampton Police Sgt. Josh Stokel. Locals also will donate 10 percent of the bar profits during the benefit.

North Hampton Police Officer Kate Horgan said that number means the benefit was on pace to "well exceed" the fundraising goal "of a couple thousand dollars," which would cover just a couple of hotel rooms and plane fares for the service. Horgan said it was amazing to see the turnout, and she said it's probable that much more of the trip will be covered than originally thought. 

"I didn't expect this kind of outpouring of support from the community," said Horgan.

Joan Buchanan, Maloney's mother, said she "never expected this many people" to come out Sunday, although she said its fitting because of the man he was.

"Mike's upstairs laughing," said Buchanan.