State Senator: 'Granite Hammer' Busts Are Working

On Dec. 1, 2015, the Division III of the Joint Task Force for the response to the heroin and opioid crisis in New Hampshire met for the first time. Division III deals with proposals requiring financial backing or appropriations.

State Sen. Jeanie Forrester, R-Meredith, chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee and Vice Chair of Division III, issued a statement following the first Division III meeting.

“Today’s meeting focused on multiple components of combating the heroin and opioid crisis from various angles, including a bill that I’ve been working on to expand a successful law enforcement program statewide called ’Granite Hammer,; first piloted in Manchester,” she said. “This program would focus on analytical data related to the highest crime and drug-related activity days in cities and towns, and would increase police presence for the purpose of taking drug traffickers off our streets. We’ve seen great success in the Manchester pilot program and in some of the first operations it took nearly 45 drug dealers off the streets.

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Forrester stated, “The ‘Granite Hammer’ operations work in conjunction with a town or city’s police force and the New Hampshire State Police, who provide additional officers and resources at a relatively low cost when compared to the effectiveness of the program as a whole. The effect of quelling the supply of heroin or other substances sends a strong signal to drug traffickers that New Hampshire will not tolerate this kind of dangerous and illegal drug activity, and it will ideally prevent new users from accessing these extremely addictive and destructive drugs. In Division III, we hope to continue working on the specifics of the program, tailoring it to be successful wherever it is needed most in New Hampshire and I am committed to expediting this legislation following this thorough vetting process.”