§ 21-P:66 — Substance Abuse Enforcement Program

I. The commissioner of safety shall establish a substance abuse enforcement program which shall make grants available to county and local law enforcement agencies, and also provide funding for the division of state police for the following purposes:
(a) Overtime costs for officers performing law enforcement activities under this program.
(b) Overtime, supplies, and other costs of the state forensic science laboratory.
(c) For law enforcement agencies in Coos, Grafton, Carroll, and Sullivan counties, costs for hiring additional officers carrying out law enforcement activities aimed at preventing or reducing overdose deaths and other opioid related harms.
II. The commissioner shall establish protocols and conditions for increased state police patrols and conditions for eligibility for grants to local and county law enforcement agencies. The protocols and conditions shall be based on the principles of intelligence-driven, problem-oriented policing, using statistics and information to place additional police patrol and investigative presence at the locations, times, and places where there have been a significant convergence of motor vehicle crashes, crimes, and drug use, or in corridors known to be used by drug dealers for shipments of illegal drugs into the state. The protocols and conditions shall:
(a) Require dedicated patrol units relieved of taking calls for service absent an emergency.
(b) Insure that the officers assigned to such patrol units have been trained in the concept of data-driven policing and have an appropriate knowledge of the requirements of the state and federal constitutions.
III. The commissioner shall give equal consideration to all local and county law enforcement agencies and the division of state police when allocating available program funding.
IV. The program shall include the following prohibitions on allowable uses of funds:
(a) Except for Coos, Grafton, Carroll, and Sullivan counties, no funds shall be granted for "purchase of evidence" or for "confidential funds."
(b) No funds shall be used for the purchase of operational equipment, except for direct supply costs for state forensic science laboratory testing.
(c) No funds shall be used for supplanting locally budgeted and approved funds for routine law enforcement.
V. The program shall include semi-annual reporting, to the governor, senate president, and speaker of the house of representatives, which includes measurable program results and a detailed accounting of program funding and uses. The first report shall be submitted on or before December 15, 2016.

Legislative History

2016, 277:2, eff. June 17, 2016. 2025, 141:28, 29, eff. July 1, 2025.