Laconia police report 26% jump in January calls; no overdose deaths reported

At its Feb. 18 meeting the Laconia Police Commission heard that calls for service rose 26% in January, with the department responding to 2,022 calls for the month, Chief Canfield said.

"It's early in the year, but we're showing that our calls for service are up 26%," Chief Canfield said during the commission's monthly activity report. He also listed other January figures: 155 park walk‑and‑talks, 456 extra patrols, 300 criminal investigations (186 cleared by arrest, 103 of those physical custody arrests) and 17 people taken into custody for intoxication.

The department reported no drug overdoses or overdose deaths year‑to‑date, a shift Canfield said reflects changing local drug trends toward methamphetamine rather than opioids that prompt fatal overdoses. The department highlighted outreach work as well, saying volunteers logged eight service hours in January and detectives conducted community outreach and background investigations.

Traffic enforcement for January included 23 parking tickets, 43 motor‑vehicle accident investigations (six with injury), 394 motor‑vehicle stops, 14 summonses and 351 written warnings, the chief said.

On public communications, Canfield noted the department sent 1,187 SpinerTech text messages in January and 17,081 over the past year; the vendor reported the department's survey response rate typically runs between 20% and 25%, though the January return dipped to about 18.8%.

The commission did not take policy action on these reports; the chief framed them as informational updates that commissioners can use when setting operational priorities and budget questions at future meetings.