New Hampshire House of Representatives
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MANCHESTER, NH — By all admissions, Operation Granite Hammer is no silver bullet in the fight against drugs. But according to law enforcement, it’s the best tool they have right now to stem the flow of illegal drugs by targeting low-level drug dealers.
Demand for heroin and fentanyl is high here. Police officers are dispatched daily into the combat zones, where drug dealers are defending their turf by any means possible against those officers charged with putting them out of business.
It has a lot to do with the 18 shootings in Manchester since April 1 — 13 of them determined to be gang-on-gang violence, said Manchester Police Chief Nick Willard. Rival gangs from New York City are coming to the Queen City specifically because there’s money to be made here. So much so that they agree not to fight over turf, because there’s plenty of customers to go around.
That’s how much potential for money making there is from the sale of illegal drugs in Manchester, said Willard.
He was among a group of New Hampshire law enforcement officials who appeared in Concord Wednesday before a bi-partisan gathering of House and Senate leaders to make one last plea for continued support in their collective efforts to counter drug trafficking by keeping the $1.5 million in Granite Hammer grant money flowing.
The strategic meeting came one day before New Hampshire lawmakers planned to reconvene to vote on whether to suspend the rules and allow for another vote on the bill, renamed HB 1000 [formerly SB 485], a bill that failed to pass on June 1 by one vote.
Willard spoke frankly and forcefully about the challenges he faces in Manchester. Money has run out. His budget is stretched thin. Gun violence is ramping up. Drugs are everywhere.
In the clip above, Willard pulls no punches when responding to Rep. David Bates, R-Windham, who outlined the disdain many of his fellow legislators have for being called back to Concord for one more vote (fast forward to 11:59:33)
Willard asked if the process “allowed” for a special session, to which he was told “yes,” which led to Willard’s commentary on “process.”
“This is of paramount importance, and you have to put aside your sensitivities as a body and not play politics — and I will submit to you politics has been played. That bill should have sailed right through, but instead, they went after police retirees benefits, that’s politics, sir,” Willard said, referring to an amendment tacked onto the original bill which effectively killed it.
“We are drowning right now and we can no longer continue to operate in this vacuum of political shenanigans. And I’m frustrated as a chief. Look what’s happening in my city… at the end of the day we need this money because we want to continue operations. If you don’t give us this money because of your own sensitivities and political shenanigans, so be it. We’re going to continue to fight the fight because its of paramount importance to us to save American lives every day.”
Other testimony came from chiefs from smaller towns, where they say Narcan is in short supply, and a growing number of drug operations are setting up shop.
Rep. Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack, and Rep. Steve Shurtleff, D-Penacook, led the session, saying that the purpose was to recap the process that led to the special June 16 session.
You can watch the entire 1 hour and 44 minute meeting here.
“Families are being torn apart, lives and livelihoods are being ruined, neighborhoods and communities are being ravaged,” Hinch said. “The fight against addiction is multi-faceted. We’ve approved money for treatment and recovery, and rule changes for prescribing methods and drug monitoring programs, and enabled school boards to include education, if they choose. This is the missing piece, the third leg of the stool.”
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