When she arrived at the Hopkinton Police Department five years ago, Patricia Finnerty did a lot of listening.

The department secretary heard stories and learned about people, and she decided the tales were noteworthy. Actually, she decided the stories were bookworthy.

Finnerty recently put the finishing touches on her book, “History of the Police Department and Law Enforcement in Hopkinton, N.H.,” after two years of work.

The book includes stories of the first inhabitants of Hopkinton and many of the chiefs throughout the town’s history, as the book spans years between 1700 and 2006.

Finnerty previously worked in Massachussets before moving to Hopkinton in 1999.

Sitting in her office, she often heard those around her singing the praises of the department.

“Listening to officers and people coming in talk about the pride and how things were, I thought it had to be the most wonderful, beautiful story to tell,” she said. “The people are amazing and so supportive of the Police Department. There’s a lot of respect for the department and people in it and that goes far back”

The Police Department sponsored Finnerty’s efforts, paying for the publishing costs of the book until they could be paid back with money brought in by the sale of the book.

Although it was a daunting task for Finnerty, her experience writing the history of a previous company she worked for helped along the way.

“Interviewing people was the most fun. When I first started asking questions I would see how shy people could be,” she said. “Some people would say they didn’t do anything special, but then they open up. When you see their stories you see how much they really did, you know they were being modest. I loved talking to people and getting their stories together.”

For Finnerty, the process was not always easy.

“Finding time to do it was the most difficult part. I work here for four eight-hour days. Everyone thought it was a great idea, but when it came down to getting people to edit, it was difficult,” said Finnerty. “Throughout the book there were a lot of times when I said I just can’t do this anymore. Then I thought of all the people, I knew I couldn’t stop. These people and their stories were so good. Someone had to put it in print and memorialize.”

The book is for sale for $5, and Finnerty said she didn’t publish it for profit, but more to get the stories out to people in town.

She has sold 105 copies so far, with the hopes of only making enough to repay the department. If she makes any profit, Finnerty said she will donate it to charity.

Finnerty enjoyed the experience so much, she hopes to write histories on the town’s VFW and American Legion in the future.

In addition to searching high and low around Hopkinton for information, Finnerty also learned something else.

“I think if you like it and believe in what you’re doing, which I did, you can do anything you want and accomplish anything. It was a lot of work, but it was fun,” said Finnerty, who joked that she isn’t planning a sequel for the police department. “Someone else will have to do the next 50 years.”

To purchase a book, call Finnerty at the Hopkinton Police Department at 746-5151.