No threat to public safety following SWAT team arrest in Belmont Sunday

BELMONT — Residents were asked to remain inside in the area of Linda Drive on Sunday, while police and the SWAT team apprehended Justin A. Spirko, who was charged with threatening officers and resisting arrest during the service of a warrant.

Spirko, 38, was arrested sometime between 8 and 9 a.m. on Linda Drive. He was booked in Belknap County Jail at 9:43 a.m., according to jail records.

Spirko was arrested by Belknap County SWAT and charged with criminal threatening, resisting arrest or detention, reckless conduct and criminal mischief.

Belmont police responded to Linda Drive around 7 a.m. Sunday, Capt. Stephen Akerstrom said Monday morning, in order to serve warrants.

“There was an individual who had warrants that we went to arrest and he made threats to the officers,” Akerstrom said.  

Officers called for backup from the Belknap County SWAT team, part of the Belknap County Special Operations Group, after they heard what appeared to be explosions while attempting to serve the warrants.

The Belmont Police Department asked nearby residents to remain inside their homes because of an ongoing incident just before 9 a.m.

“There is currently a police incident occurring in the Linda Drive, Nancy Drive, Tucker Shore area,” the statement read. “If you are living in this area, please stay inside. We are asking that everyone avoid this location until the situation is under control. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

The department gave the all-clear to residents at 9:40 a.m. Sunday. 

“The situation at Linda Drive, Nancy Drive, and Tucker Shore Road has been resolved,” a statement read. “Thank you all for patience and helping us to keep our community safe.”

None of the officers were injured while making the arrest, but Spirko resisted attempts to bring him into custody, Akerstrom said. 

Officers are investigating the origins of the explosions heard at the scene.

“We’re still looking into that,” he said. 

Sheriff Bill Wright said SWAT team officers responded to the incident after a commanding officer determined the situation met the criteria.

The SWAT team, one part of the Belknap County Special Operations Group, is comprised of officers from town and city departments in the Lakes Region and governed by an executive board of high-ranking officers from each department, including Wright.

Officers interested in serving with the group are required to apply through a competitive process and, if selected, must undergo extensive training. Some officers are trained to serve on the SWAT team and others learn the intricacies of hostage negotiation or intelligence collection and surveillance. 

The sheriff’s department contributes several deputies. The large, armored vehicles used for search and rescue among other purposes, called Bearcats, are harbored at the sheriff’s department and at the Gilford Police Department.

The SWAT team is called upon by local law enforcement officers in situations deemed high-risk, especially dynamic or unusual.

“Also active situations that we would not want local officers to have to handle,” Wright said.

When local officers think a particular problem or incident may be extreme or especially hazardous, they will contact a commanding officer at the SWAT team to request backup.

The commanding officer then goes through a checklist, standardized from the National Tactical Officers Association and the New Hampshire Tactical Officers Association, to ensure the details of the situation are in-line with their requirements for call-to-service. 

Meeting the criteria is important, Wright said, because it's a check and balance on their operations. Wright said he is sensitive to the perception of increasingly militarized police operations, and wants to limit it. 

“Having a Bearcat showing up at a call,” he said. “That right there is a level of force that’s beyond your typical officers showing up.”

Once a commanding officer determines the criteria for special operations involvement is met, it's their responsibility to determine how many and which types of specially trained officers will be sent out. In some cases the SWAT team is needed, but other situations require different capabilities. 

Officers assigned to the group also run observation operations focused on collecting data — some officers receive special training on gathering intelligence and may work in plainclothes.

When deciding if the SWAT team is needed on any given call, the commanding officer will take into account details such as an individual's criminal history, any history of violence, history of previous arrests that may have involved a tactical law enforcement team, geographical considerations at hand, whether previous incidents involved the use of a firearm and an individual’s history of compliance or non-compliance with law enforcement orders. 

Every year, the Belknap County Special Operations Group receives far more requests for involvement than it actually dispatches tactical officers to the scene, Wright said. 

“We’re a special operations group,” Wright said. “We’re about a lot more than just kicking in doors.”