Bill Text - HB1651 (2012)

Requiring the division of state police to equip special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or teams with tactical cameras.


Revision: Dec. 28, 2011, midnight

HB 1651-FN – AS INTRODUCED

2012 SESSION

12-2639

09/04

HOUSE BILL 1651-FN

AN ACT requiring the division of state police to equip special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or teams with tactical cameras.

SPONSORS: Rep. Simmons, Hills 17; Rep. Ball, Hills 9

COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

ANALYSIS

This bill requires the division of state police to equip special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or teams with tactical cameras.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

12-2639

09/04

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve

AN ACT requiring the division of state police to equip special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or teams with tactical cameras.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Subdivision; Division of State Police; SWAT Units and Teams; Tactical Cameras. Amend RSA 106-B by inserting after section 25 the following new subdivision:

SWAT Units and Teams; Tactical Cameras

106-B:26 Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Units and Teams. The director of the division of state police shall equip all SWAT units and teams operating under the supervision of the state or a political subdivision of the state with tactical cameras when performing the duties of their operations.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

12-2639

12/22/11

HB 1651-FN - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT requiring the division of state police to equip special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or teams with tactical cameras.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Department of Safety, New Hampshire Association of Counties, and New Hampshire Municipal Association state this bill will increase state expenditures by $127,500 in FY 2013. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county, or local revenue, or county or local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

    The Department of Safety, New Hampshire Association of Counties, and the New Hampshire Municipal Association state this bill requires the Department’s division of state police to equip special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units with tactical cameras. The Department first contacted other SWAT teams in the New England region in an effort to estimate the potential cost, however no other SWAT teams use such tactical cameras. Through internet research, the Department decided the best choice as a source for a tactical camera system that met desired specifications at a reasonable cost is Adrenaline Systems, specifically the company’s Military Cam-Tac II kit. Each kit consists of three components: a digital video recorder, a ‘snake cam’, and tactical head strap, and has a per kit cost of roughly $500. The Department estimates expenditures will increase by $127,500 ($500 per kit x 255 camera kits) in FY 2013 to purchase the necessary camera systems. The list of the 10 SWAT units and number of members for which the Department must purchase camera kits is as follows:

    SWAT unit # of Members

    New Hampshire State Police SWAT 25

    Belknap Special Operations Group 25

    Berlin-Gorham Emergency Response Team 20

    Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit 30

    Keene Police Department SWAT Team 25

    Manchester Police Department SWAT Team 20

    Nashua Police Department Special Response Team 25

    Seacoast Emergency Response Team 30

    Southern New Hampshire Regional Special Operations Unit 30

    Strafford County Regional Tactical Operations Unit 25

    Total 255

    The Department states it does not yet possess information about potential maintenance costs or product life, so it states costs could increase further by an indeterminable amount to address any maintenance or replacement issues. The Association of Counties also states county expenditures could increase by an indeterminable amount if the maintenance responsibility were to fall on the county SWAT teams.