By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — The Newport Police Department’s effort to curb the ongoing drug problem in the region is a top concern of Chief Alex Lee, and the Board of Selectmen recently approved a $20,000 grant for a substance abuse reduction initiative to help this cause.
“This allows us for proactive drug enforcement,” Lee said.
The grant is through the New Hampshire Department of Safety, according to Chief Lee. This involves no local match and comes with no cost to the town and will cover overtime and fringe benefits for the employees. The grant will solely focus on personnel costs and will not be associated with rentals of vehicles and equipment.
Lee told the selectmen that there are three top trends that the department faces. The first is fentanyl, which has been an issue for years that causes deaths and hospitalizations at an alarming rate. Fentanyl contributed to 25 fatal overdoses in Sullivan County this past year, and this number is doubled as far as hospitalizations go.
Another newer trend is the rise of methamphetamine. Lee also said the department is dealing with marijuana and THC related products that are shipped in from dispensaries from out of state. Lee said that this can lead to competition as there are large amounts of money involved, and can ultimately lead to assaults, robberies and other violent acts.
“It’s always been a priority of the department to combat drug trafficking and the harmful effects that drug trafficking has had in the community,” Lee said.
Lee said through a collaborative effort with the Claremont Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office, they use plain clothes officers and undercover vehicles for surveillance in known drug areas. As undercover officers see suspicious activity, they will radio in for patrol officers to make stops that lead to arrests. When suspects are arrested coming from these locations, they can be used for intel and probable cause for arrest warrants for dealers. This is how they “work their way up the food chain,” Lee said.
“This has been a very effective model, but it is very personnel intensive and therefore expensive,” Lee said.
Lee said at least six or eight officers work together in these scenarios, and oftentimes there needs to be overtime paid. He said that due to budget restraints, the department often needs to limit this work. To alleviate this, the state offered the town grant money to fund the overtime for the operations.
Lee said this was a competitive grant process, and only $200,000 was offered statewide. Fortunately, Newport will be getting a large chunk of that. Lee said one of the main criteria items for receiving these funds are that it is a multi-agency process. In this instance, Newport Police Department is the grantee, while the Claremont Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office are sub-grantees.
“They will submit their reimbursement requests to us, and we will reimburse those agencies and submit to the state for reimbursement on behalf of all three agencies,” Lee said.
A public hearing was held before the vote, and resident Kurt Minick asked that the best way for a citizen to contact someone is if they see suspicious activity. Lee said to call 863-3232 and they can give information, both with their name or anonymously. While anonymous tips are OK and can still be useful, Lee said having a name involved as a witness helps with obtaining warrants and can make for a speedier process.
Minick said that it appears citizens can be a big part of the program, and Lee wholeheartedly agreed. He said target locations being watched are primarily due to tips from residents from over the past year.
Selectman Jeff Kessler asked what the track record is with prosecution, and Lee admitted that while they average five to six arrests a night through the program, it can still be tough for offenders to see jail time.
“We are very successful in making arrests, where I think sometimes it falls short in the sentencing,” Lee said. “It is hard to get people held on bail now because of bail reform of 2018.”
Lee said the important thing is for the department to continue to work with Claremont and the Sheriff’s office, as well as probation and parole offices and the N.H. Drug Task Force, to fight crime and not give up the fight.
“It can be frustrating but we can’t just give up,” Lee said.
