Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Merrimack council unanimously accepts $14,007.71 DOJ grant to extend police harm‑reduction program
Summary
The council voted 5–0 to accept $14,007.71 from the New Hampshire Department of Justice to extend the town police department's COSSUP grant through Sept. 30, 2026, after a police presentation on program outreach and overdose-prevention supplies.
The Merrimack Town Council on June 26 voted unanimously to accept and expend $14,007.71 from the New Hampshire Department of Justice to continue the town police department’s COSSUP harm‑reduction program through Sept. 30, 2026.
The grant acceptance was introduced at a public hearing that included a presentation from the police representative, who described outreach, prevention and treatment efforts supported by prior grant funding. “To say that it’s been a success is understatement,” the police chief said, listing program achievements in 2025 including distributing “over 110 boxes of Narcan … that’s 220 doses” and ongoing partnerships with regional prevention coalitions and schools.
The council was told the town’s prevention‑enforcement‑treatment officer has created four locations for free harm‑reduction materials, carried Naloxone in patrol vehicles, hosted educational events at the high school and connected residents to recovery services. The presenter said 29 people were actively enrolled in the local program and roughly 60 people had received services since the program began.
Councilor Nancy Murphy moved to accept the funds and authorize the town manager to sign any necessary documents; a second was recorded and the motion carried 5–0–0. The acceptance cites RSA 31:95‑b and the town charter (article 8, section 15). No public commenters spoke during the hearing.
Next steps: the town manager will complete and submit the required documents to receive the award and the grant extension will run through Sept. 30, 2026.
