New Hampshire launches bail notification system

(The Center Square) — New Hampshire has launched a new notification system that will alert law enforcement officers if a suspect they encounter is currently out on bail.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte said the new system, which is being funded with $500,000 recently approved by the Legislature, will strengthen New Hampshire’s efforts to keep violent repeat offenders behind bars, protect victims of crimes, and stem from last year’s bipartisan effort to "fix the state's broken bail system."  

"The launch of this new bail notification system gives officers timely data on bail conditions, ensuring we hold violent offenders accountable and protect victims from further harm," Ayotte said in a statement. "It’s another critical tool to help us keep New Hampshire the safest state in the nation." 

Under the new system, law enforcement officers will be able to view an offender’s bail information on the same day as ordered by the court. The notices will be sent through the State Police On-Line Telecommunications System, which officials said will enable court personnel to share a defendant’s bail status and certain bail conditions with law enforcement. 

Previously, law enforcement officers had to contact probation agencies or the courts directly for the information. 

State officials say the new notifications will allow police officers to know in real time if someone is violating bail, which they said will improve public safety. 

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"The ability to share this information quickly is critical to ensuring officer safety, protecting residents and visitors, and holding individuals who violate their bail orders accountable," Robert L. Quinn, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Safety, said in a statement.

Attorney General John Formella, who joined Ayotte on Monday to launch the new system, said in domestic violence and other high-risk cases, "bail conditions and protective orders are critical safeguards." 

"By improving law enforcement’s awareness of those conditions in the field, this system helps ensure those protections are known and enforceable," he said. 

Ayotte, a first-term Republican, ran for office last year on a public safety platform that called for repealing a controversial bail reform law approved by her predecessor, Republican Chris Sununu, that has been criticized for allowing dangerous criminals to be released ahead of trial. 

In March, she took steps to fulfill that campaign promise by signing a bill eliminating the magistrate system and allowing law enforcement to detain criminal suspects up to 36 hours before they are seen before a state Superior Court or Circuit Court judge. 

The bail law overhaul also requires a suspect charged with major felonies to be detained without bail before arraignment.