police

A statewide commission on police accountability and transparency has sent Gov. Chris Sununu recommendations for reforms to police training in New Hampshire.

Sununu created the commission in mid-June in response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

The New Hampshire's attorney general's office has announced that a state trooper has resigned after he was accused of twice falsifying records.

James Callahan was first accused of falsifying information on a form following an incident in Madison, New Hampshire, earlier this year.

During the course of the investigation, the attorney general's office found Callahan had also falsified information on his official report. He allegedly made false statements about where the K-9 drug-detection search had occurred.

Originalmente escrito en inglés por Jordyn Haime para Granite State News Collaborative

Traducido al español por María Aguirre 

Eva Castillo recibe con regularidad llamadas de inmigrantes locales que le piden llamar a la policía por ellos. 

Castillo, una inmigrante de Venezuela, ha trabajado por años para mejorar la relación entre la población inmigrante de New Hampshire y la policía. Pero, muchos de ellos, incluyéndola, aun le temen a la policía. 

Gov. Chris Sununu has signed a sweeping bill to overhaul state criminal justice policy, including a ban on the use of chokeholds by police in New Hampshire.

A state commission looking at police accountability and transparency in New Hampshire met virtually this week to discuss current standards for training on diversity, de-escalation and use of force.

On Thursday and Friday, Gov. Chris Sununu’s Commission on Law Enforcement, Accountability, Community and Transparency heard presentations on how officers are trained in New Hampshire.

Calls to defund police departments are a growing part of American political discourse.

Demonstrators protesting decades of police violence against Black Americans in cities across the country have argued that some or all of the tax dollars that currently fund police departments should be instead rerouted to other social services.

The state Senate voted 23-1 Tuesday to pass a sweeping bill that tightens some bail standards and outlaws the use of chokeholds by police in New Hampshire.

Gov. Chris Sununu is pulling together a commission to look at police accountability and transparency in New Hampshire.

Sununu said he doesn't think New Hampshire is at what he termed a “crisis point” when it comes to police and community relations. But he wants the new commission to reexamine everything from police training to misconduct investigations and come back with recommendations within 45 days.

The goal, Sununu said, is to identify solutions that will enhance transparency.

Police departments across the state are trying to limit the amount of face-to-face contact between officers and the public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Two patrol partners in Laconia are in quarantine after one tested positive. 

Laconia Police Chief Matt Canfield says the coronavirus pandemic does put his officers at great risk.

“They can’t always wear personal protective equipment just given the nature of the job and the dangers associated with it -- from an officer safety standpoint,” Canfield said.

The Ossipee Police Department’s first-ever full-time female officer is suing the town, alleging she was the target of gender discrimination and repeated instances of sexual harassment during her six years with the force.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office has released new protocols for how police departments should handle hate crimes.

The aim is to help law enforcement better identify and report hate crimes and civil rights violations in New Hampshire.

Bias incidents and hate crimes are underreported nationwide each year. According to a press release from the Attorney General's office, 48 departments in the state did not submit any information to the FBI related to hate crimes in 2017.

Police in New Hampshire are calling for more resources to support officers who are struggling with mental health issues.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., heard from law enforcement officials and mental health advocates during a roundtable Tuesday at the Nashua Police Department.

Many police departments across the state, Nashua and Manchester included, have peer support programs for employees struggling with mental health.

But Shaheen says we need more research and support for these kinds of efforts.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office has amended its finding in a fatal 2016 officer involved shooting of a 25-year-old Claremont man, Cody LaFont.

The Attorney General's office initially concluded that the shooting was "legally justified," but it decided to re-examine the case after the officer involved was convicted of falsifying documents related to a police search last year.

  The Portsmouth Police Commission has voted unanimously against the use of body cameras. Police officials said Tuesday that body cameras would not be of value in a city with a low rate of citizen complaints.

Over the past nine months, the Body & Car Camera subcommittee, which is made of citizen volunteers, conducted research and compiled a report on the issue.

Manchester Police Chief Carlo Capano says his department won't bill President Trump's re-election campaign for any expenses associated with his visit Thursday.

The rally, to be held at the SNHU arena in downtown Manchester, is expected to draw over 11,000 people. The area around SNHU will be closed to traffic, and protests are also expected.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire is suing the city of Manchester over its plan to install surveillance cameras downtown, alleging they would violate state privacy laws.

Senator Maggie Hassan and other lawmakers want to send more federal money to police to combat the opioid crisis.

A bill called the POWER Act would help state and local agencies buy portable electronic devices that screen and immediately identify chemicals including opioids and methamphetamines.

Hassan says right now, police have to rely on specific labs to identify the chemicals in seized substances, and it can take weeks to get results back.  

The second of two former Claremont police officers charged with lying on the job has pleaded guilty.

The state Attorney General's office says Mark Burch will serve 100 hours of community service, and has agreed not to work as a police officer in New Hampshire. He was sentenced to a year behind bars, but the jail sentence is suspended pending good behavior.

His former colleague on the force, Ian Kibbe, was sentenced in January to a year in jail, with all but 90 days suspended. He is also barred from serving in local law enforcement.

A New Hampshire police department has announced a new voluntary registry program for residents with special needs.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office says a State Trooper's use of deadly force in September was legally justified.

The incident began when Trooper Kevin Dobson responded to multiple calls about a drunk driver on Route 101.

Dobson found the vehicle parked off the road in Epping.

The ACLU of New Hampshire and the Union Leader Corporation have filed a right-to-know lawsuit against the town of Salem.