HB 66  - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2021 SESSION

21-0026

04/06

 

HOUSE BILL 66

 

AN ACT relative to the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer.

 

SPONSORS: Rep. True, Rock. 4; Rep. Edwards, Rock. 4; Rep. Greene, Hills. 37

 

COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill removes the legal authority for a law enforcement officer to use deadly force in effecting an arrest.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

21-0026

04/06

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One

 

AN ACT relative to the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  Physical Force in Law Enforcement.  Amend RSA 627:5, II to read as follows:

II.  A law enforcement officer is justified in using deadly force only when [he] the officer reasonably believes such force is necessary:

(a)  To defend himself or herself or a third person from what [he] the officer reasonably believes is the imminent use of deadly force; or

(b)  To [effect an arrest or] prevent the escape from custody of a person whom [he] the officer reasonably believes:

(1)  Has committed or is committing a felony involving the use of force or violence, is using a deadly weapon in attempting to escape, or otherwise indicates that [he] the person is likely to seriously endanger human life or inflict serious bodily injury unless apprehended without delay; and

(2)  [He] The officer had made reasonable efforts to advise the person that he or she is a law enforcement officer [attempting to effect an arrest] and has reasonable grounds to believe that the person is aware of these facts.

(c)  Nothing in this paragraph constitutes justification for conduct by a law enforcement officer amounting to an offense against innocent persons whom [he] the officer is not seeking to [arrest or] retain in custody.

2  Repeal.  RSA 627:5, VIII, relative to the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer in effecting an arrest, is repealed.  

3  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.