CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Monday told a commission on law enforcement that New Hampshire has some of the country’s best police officers but acknowledged that improvements can be made.
Sununu signed an order earlier this month creating the commission on law enforcement accountability, community and transparency in response to what he called the “tragic murder” May 25 of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The commission is expected to review police training and policies, procedures related to the reporting, investigation and punishment of police misconduct, and the state of relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The commission will produce a report within 45 days with its recommendations.
“This is a seize the day type moment. Grab the moment and really move forward with something that can be positive for the state of New Hampshire and set the bar exactly where it needs to be,” Sununu told the commission.
“In New Hampshire, we definitely sit in a fortunate position in that I can say, with no hyperbole, that we have some of, if not the best, in local and state law enforcement in the country,” he said. “One thing we’ve all discussed and we all agree is that there is always a chance to do more. There is always a chance to to fill gaps, to fill the holes to be more updated, to be more progressive in our thinking and our approach.”
The 13-member panel created by the governor will be led by the attorney general’s office and include representation from police, a circuit court judge, the NAACP, members of human rights, diversity, mental health groups and the public.
No one on the commission responded to Sununu after he spoke. The commission is set to meet again later this week.
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