Police may keep details of equipment secret
CONCORD, NH (AP) – The New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled that the Concord Police Department does not have to disclose information about its “secret communications equipment.”
The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union and the Concord Monitor filed a complaint after receiving the license agreement drafted through a public registration application. They say the public has a right to know what the equipment is, what it does and the name of the vendor in town.
The Valley News reports that a divided court this week confirmed most of the deletions from the city’s licensing deal with the anonymous supplier, as revealing more “could reasonably risk circumventing the law by allowing individuals to inquire on surveillance technology and take evasive action. measures against it. “
Concord City manager Tom Aspell said the city was happy with the decision because it upholds and preserves the exemption from law enforcement under New Hampshire’s Right to Know the Law.
Lead ACLU attorney Henry Klementowicz said he was disappointed with the court’s decision to allow the city “to hold a one-sided evidence hearing and keep details of the equipment police secret. uses in New Hampshire “.
The court ruled that some deletions from the license agreement should be removed, as some of this information had already been made public.
In 2019, the proposed police budget provided for a line item of $ 5,100 for “covert and covert communications” which the city would not discuss.