Belknap County sheriff reports dispatch upgrades, joins ICE 287(g) program; commissioners accept highway-safety grant

Sheriff Bill told the Belknap County Commissioners that his office has completed major radio and dispatch upgrades, is participating in the federal ICE 287(g) program for warrant service, and that the commissioners voted to accept the 2026 New Hampshire Highway Safety Grant.

The update matters, Bill said, because the changes improve regional dispatch interoperability and provide reimbursed overtime and equipment funds for traffic-enforcement operations during high-demand periods such as Bike Week.

Sheriff Bill said the department currently has “51 employees on the roster,” a mix of sworn deputies, bailiffs and civilian staff. He described recent technology projects: two simulcast LMR radio channels plus one simplex channel now operational; a consolidated computer-aided dispatch (CAD) connection with nearby agencies; and a rebuilt dispatch center with three fully functional terminals and a fourth terminal being set up. “We’re fully operational with 2 simulcast LMR, radio channels, and we have 1 simplex radio channel,” he said. He told commissioners the data-conversion work for historical CAD records is “scheduled and targeted to be completed by September 2025.”

Bill described the county command…