DERRY - Town Councilor Kevin Coyle asked the council last night to look into the issue of low morale in the Police Department.

Coyle said he became concerned about morale after three veteran police officers indicated they were retiring in May, including one who the patrolmen's union said may have been forced out.

"There are issues beyond normal workday issues," Coyle said, asking the council to consider the matter at a future meeting.

Sgt. Daniel Pelletier, Lt. Steven Inserra and Lt. Vincent Byron have all said they will retire in May, police Capt. Vernon Thomas said last week. Pelletier has been with the department for 24 years, Inserra for 22 years and Byron for 28 years. Thomas would not say why the three officers are leaving.

Council Chairman Craig Bulkley said two of the three retiring officers have not approached the state's retirement system and it is not his responsibility to run the day-to-day operations of town departments.

Coyle said the department's morale has been low for the last year and the council has neglected to discuss the issue.

Councilor Janet Fairbanks agreed morale has been low in the department and said she brought it to the attention of then-Chairman Brian Chirichiello last year but it was never discussed by the council.

Councilor Brent Carney agreed the council needs to look into the issue, and Councilor Bev Ferrante said she was unaware of the situation.

Last week, Coyle said he would ask the council to have the town administrator and the human resources director interview the retiring officers to find out what happened.

"Three retirements in a week should sort of set off bells in people's heads," he said.

Michael Houle, president of the Derry Police Patrolman's Association, said Pelletier was not ready to leave and was retiring in reaction to being told he was being demoted from the detective unit to the patrolmen's unit. Houle said he did not know if Inserra and Byron were leaving for similar reasons.

"I know for a fact Dan Pelletier was not ready to leave," he said. "By moving Dan Pelletier out of Detectives, they've taken a huge step backward. What an asset he is."