MANCHESTER, NH – Law enforcement and public safety officials released an “open letter” to the public, apparently in response to comments and information that was debated during the recent GOP gubernatorial televised debate.
In particular, the letter addresses comments made by GOP candidate Jeannie Forester, who was attacking Mayor Ted Gatsas’ record, citing spikes in crime and the depth of the opioid crisis, adding that he had “lost control” of the city. She also said that the National Guard had been deployed in the city, a point which Gatsas disputed, and which is addressed in the letter, below.
Signed by Manchester Police Chief Nick Willard, Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan, EMS Director Christopher Stawasz and the Manchester Police Commissioners, the open letter is meant to “set the record straight” according to the letter, without entering into the rhetoric of the debate or the political fray.
Dear Friends,
In light of recent claims made in the political arena about crime and public safety in Manchester, many in the first responder community felt it was important to set the record straight about what is happening on the streets of the state’s largest city. There is no doubt that the heroin epidemic has gripped many in our community, just as it has throughout the state of New Hampshire and across the country. All of our citizens recognize this as the most pressing and immediate problem we face. We are taking meaningful action and our response is making a positive impact.
It serves no one to make false claims about the problem or proposed solutions in the political arena. Mischaracterizing the hard work being done to respond to this crisis threatens to undo the progress that has been made thus far. All of us understand there is a political process that results in a clear winner at the ballot box; that outcome is not our concern. However, community leaders, business owners, property owners and families in Manchester will agree that painting a false picture about this crisis in our city, and failing to recognize the progress being made could negatively impact all of us in very real ways.
For example, any representation that the New Hampshire National Guard is now patrolling the streets of our city, just as they might patrol a border to prevent illegal activity, is patently false. While Manchester Police Department works with two analysts from the National Guard to help with intelligence gathering, there is no street presence by the Guard in our city. It is important for that point to be very clear.
In addition, despite political claims that crime has risen 19 percent in Manchester, the truth is that the latest statistics show crime has dropped by 22 percent over the same period one year ago, which is attributed to cutting edge use of predictive analytics and hardworking law enforcement officers. Are we satisfied? Not at all, but this shows that our efforts to cut drug activity, arrest dealers and prevent overdose deaths are paying off. The number of overdoses year over year in August have dropped. We are making progress. It should be noted, we work collaboratively with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI, NH State Police and law enforcement from surrounding communities to keep a watchful eye on criminal activity. This is a challenge facing every community in every state and success will only come by working together.
Words matter and many citizens fail to see a difference between political claims and the world in which we live, work and raise our families. When political leaders exclaim our city’s homicide rate has risen 167%, but the raw data tells a different story, it can alarm and confuse the public. Homicides went from three murders to eight, which is attributable to specific domestic violence-related incidents. There are individual stories behind those statistics. We are concerned about any loss of life in our community and no increase is acceptable, but it’s critical to examine the facts behind these numbers and not conveniently blanket our city’s crime story with misleading statistics.
Good things are happening in Manchester relative to the heroin crisis. The new Safe Station program has become a beacon of hope and a life-saving option for many people in Manchester. Its success has outpaced all expectations. This program can be an example of what many other communities can do right now to impact the fatality rate in our heroin crisis. This is a program that can and should be shared throughout the region and the country, not criticized in the political arena in an effort to win votes. Police, Fire, and EMS members are all working cooperatively with members of our community to save lives, because at the end of the day, that is the only number that will ever matter to us.
This letter is offered to detail what is happening in Manchester. We are in the business of protecting and saving lives, not affecting elections. We speak with a non-partisan voice. This is not intended to serve as an endorsement of any one candidate over another in this fall’s election cycle, but it is important to make sure the facts are clear during these challenging times. We ask that the false claims about our efforts cease immediately.
Respectfully submitted,
Chief Nick Willard
Manchester Police Department
Chief Dan Goonan
Manchester Fire Department
Christopher Stawasz
Regional Director, AMR Maine, New Hampshire
Mark Roy, Evita Castillo, William Clifford, Steve Spain, Scott Spradling
Manchester Police Commission
