News, Public Information
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Special Reports
What to do if stopped by Police
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in partnership with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) provides the below information. It has been slightly modified to meet NH standards and Statutes. IACP has encouraged all Law Enforcement Agencies to publicize this information as they see the need.
At the end of the IACP information, the Keene Police Department has added several other important points and references for those stopped or having any type of encounter with a Keene, NH Police Officer.
Law enforcement officers conduct traffic stops because they observe a traffic violation or are conducting a police investigation. Being stopped by a law enforcement officer can be a stressful experience but knowing what to do during the stop will help ensure your safety, the safety of other motorists, and the safety of the officer.
When you see emergency lights behind you, stay calm, activate your turn signal, and pull off or to the side of the roadway as soon and safely as possible. Put your vehicle in park, turn off or lower the volume on your radio, and stay in your vehicle unless directed by the officer to exit. Keep your hands on the steering wheel so they are easily observable. Ask your passengers to remain calm and to stay in the vehicle while keeping their hands in plain view as well. Give the officer your full attention. Do not make sudden moves or search for your driver’s license or vehicle documents; wait for the officer to give you instructions. If you have a weapon(s) in the vehicle inform the officer upon first contact. Do not reach to show the officer the weapon unless the officer asks you to.
If it’s nighttime, the officer may direct a spotlight at your vehicle once stopped. To assist with visibility, turn on your interior lights as soon as you stop to help the officer see inside your vehicle. The officer may also use their flashlight to look into your vehicle, both for their safety and to assist you in producing your license, etc. A backup officer is likely to arrive at some point, and they will act similarly.
The officer will usually explain why they stopped you and may ask you questions about your trip. If the officer is not in uniform, they will show you their law enforcement credentials or you may ask to see them. Follow all instructions the officer gives you or your passengers. The officer may ask to see your driver’s license and vehicle registration. The officer may ask for these documents before they explain why they have stopped you. This is normal and legal, and you must produce those documents. If the documents are out of your reach, tell the officer where they are before you reach for them. If you have questions, politely ask for clarification. If the officer asks you to exit the vehicle, stay safely away from traffic and keep your hands in plain view.
When the officer completes their interaction with you, they may issue a warning or a traffic ticket, which may include a fine. The officer will typically explain whatever action is being taken. If you have questions, respectfully ask the officer to clarify. If you disagree with the officer’s decision to issue a traffic ticket, do not prolong the contact by arguing with the officer. If you wish to contest the ticket, you will have the opportunity to explain your point of view of what happened in court. Your acceptance of a traffic ticket is not an admission of guilt. If you believe the officer acted inappropriately, document the officer’s behavior and report it to the officers’ agency in a timely manner. The name of the officer and law enforcement agency will be on the ticket or you may ask the officer to provide this information.
The enforcement of traffic laws is an effective tool in changing unsafe driving behavior and reducing crashes. If you receive a warning or a ticket for a traffic violation, its purpose is to deter illegal and/or unsafe behavior. Good communication from all involved parties can make a traffic stop a safe experience for all parties involved.
In general, when encountering officers the best bet is to remain calm, ask questions as necessary, and cooperate so everyone can move on. Our Departments mission is to protect life and property and maintain order in the City while assuring fair and respectful treatment of everyone. To accomplish that effectively takes cooperation from both you and us. If an officer approaches you on the street, you can ask if you are free to leave, as some encounters are consensual and you have the right to not consent to speaking with the officer(s). Many times, if we are walking on foot, we are actually just stopping to speak for no other reason than to say hello. If the reason for speaking with you is not a consensual encounter, meaning you are suspected of committing, having committed, or about to commit an offense or violation, the officer(s) will inform you of this if you ask.
It is legal in NH to video police officers in the line of duty as long as you or it does not interfere with the officer’s ability to do what he or she is doing. The officer may ask you to keep a reasonable distance from them when they are conducting their business. We do not recommend doing this during a motor vehicle stop, as with both parties under some stress, it is difficult to identify what is in someone’s hand, especially in low light conditions.
If you have a complaint about the way you were treated, the Keene Police Department has a detailed citizen’s complaint process. We ask that you use this process versus arguing with the officer on the street, at your home, or on the side of the road.
KPD Keene School District SRO Memo of Understanding
KPD Keene School District School Resource Officer Program Memo of Understanding
Deaf or Hard of Hearing Driver Card
The New Hampshire Deaf or Hard of Hearing Driver Visor Card is a tool used by drivers who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate with police during a traffic stop. The card quickly notifies law enforcement and other emergency responders that a driver is deaf or hard of hearing, helping make interactions safe and easy. The card can also be used by drivers who do not speak English in order to communicate in an emergency situation.
These cards are now carried by Keene Police Officers and are also available online through the NH Department of Safety.
Police Logs
Arrested persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Medication Drop Box
In partnership with Monadnock Voices for Prevention, Cheshire County, the Rotary Club of Keene-Elm City, Hoik Advertising, and Budget Blinds, the Keene Police Department is pleased to announce the opening of the first permanent disposal location for unused, unwanted and expired medications in Cheshire County.
The drop box is located in the lobby of the Keene Police Department and is available for use to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Medication Dropbox Guidelines for use and what is accepted for disposal in the box.
Make Your Own Medical Sharps Container for proper disposal.
For more information on safe medication disposal, please visit the US Food and Drug Administration page
Crime Statistics
NATIONAL INCIDENT BASED REPORTING SYSTEM
The Keene, NH Police Department utilizes crime reporting software which collects data compliant with the standards established by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the development of the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
The NIBRS system records detailed information about 22 serious, or “Group A” offenses, and arrest information only on 11 less serious, or “Group B” offenses. The Department submits data on these offenses to the state on a monthly basis. The data is in digital format.
From this page you may access general monthly numbers of offenses reported to the Keene Police Department during that particular month. As you review this material you should be aware of the following features of the NIBRS system.
NIBRS collects data from every state and territory of the United States as well as federal reservations and the District of Columbia. To avoid distortions created by different laws in different states NIBRS uses its own terms and definitions and state offenses are fitted in. This may occasionally create a difference between crimes reported as per NIBRS and crimes reported consistent with our state law.
Arrests made during a month do not necessarily relate to offenses reported during the same month.
In any incident where more than one crime is reported only the most serious crime is recorded.
For instance if a person is charged with a misdemeanor assault, a violation criminal trespass, and a violation unlawful possession of alcohol, only the assault is counted. This can lead to underreporting of lesser offenses.
Arrest and Motor Vehicle Stop Demographic Data
One recommendation of the NH Governors Commission for Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency (LEACT) is that Law Enforcement agencies post annual demographic data pertaining to arrests, motor vehicle stops (MVS), and subject stops.
Beginning in March 2021 the Keene Police Department is posting demographic information concerning our arrests, motor vehicle stops (MVS), and subject stops separately in this section. In coming years our goal will be to have this information posted to the public by the middle of February for each preceding year.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind those viewing this data, that comparing these numbers solely against the demographics found in the current census numbers for Keene would be short sighted. Keene is the hub of Cheshire County and, like most larger communities, the population grows with those visiting, shopping and working in the City, or just passing through on our roads. It is believed that Keene has an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 people traveling in and through the City on any given day. Some believe this number to be even higher, however accurate data is not available. Our roads lead those from VT, MA, and CT towards the NH seacoast, as well as the Lakes region and points North.
2025 MVS Demographic Data, 2025 Arrest Demographic Data, 2025 Subject Stops Demographic Data
2024 MVS Demographic Data, 2024 Arrest Demographic Data, 2024 Subject Stops Demographic Data
2023 MVS Demographic Data, 2023 Arrest Demographic Data, 2023 Subject Stops Demographic Data
2022 MVS Demographic Data, 2022 Arrest Demographic Data, 2022 Subject Stops Demographic Data
2021 MVS Demographic Data, 2021 Arrest Demographic Data, 2021 Subject Stops Demographic Data
2020 MVS Demographic Data, 2020 Arrest Demographic Data, 2020 Subject Stops Demographic Data
Homeland Security
Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Information
The National Terrorism Advisory System, or NTAS, replaces the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). This new system will more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports and other transportation hubs, and the private sector.
It recognizes that Americans all share responsibility for the nation’s security, and should always be aware of the heightened risk of terrorist attack in the United States and what they should do.
Internet Crimes Against Children
In 1998, the Portsmouth, NH and Keene, NH Police Departments along with the Education Development Center, Inc. of Newton, Massachusetts, were awarded a $300,000 Justice Department grant to combat Internet child sexual exploitation. This grant was awarded by the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) under its Internet Crimes Against Children program. The grant was used for undercover operations, the education of law enforcement officers and in the development of prevention materials. The service area for the grant covered the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
The goal of this project was to create a Regional Task Force on Internet Crimes Against Children serving the three rural northern New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Through this Task Force we identified and supported sources of technological and investigative expertise as well as forensic resources to enhance proactive and reactive investigations of Internet crimes against children across the northern New England region.
January 13th, 2000 marked the end of our full-time three-year Internet law enforcement project which we had started in 1997. It also marked the end of the Justice Department grant. Currently we maintain a part-time undercover operation through the City of Keene, NH. Through this undercover operation over 700 offenders from 48 different states and 13 foreign countries have been arrested and over 2,000,000 child pornographic images seized.
One of our goals is to collect descriptive characteristics of those offenders who have committed sexual exploitation crimes with a computer. Our Offender Profile contains much of our data. This includes occupations of offenders and previous involvement with children. We have also included the state or country the offender resides or resided in. Part of our data collection included the ages of suspects. We have had suspects as young as thirteen and as old as seventy-six.
Tanner staging, which was designed for estimating development or physiologic age for medical, educational, and sports purposes (in other words, identifying early and late maturing children), has been misused in the courts when it is used not to stage maturation, but to estimate probable chronological age. For a better understanding of the Misuse of the Tanner Scale, you may wish to read the communication between Detective McLaughlin of the Keene Police Department and Dr. Arlan Rosenbloom; Department of Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
(Retired) Detective Lieutenant McLaughlin’s advice for parents.
RYAN HALLIGAN
13-year-old Ryan Halligan committed suicide in Essex, Vermont in part as a result of online bullying from fellow students at his school. His parents have set up a website as a resource to parents and kids regarding this new threat to youth. To learn more about Ryan or his father’s efforts to address the problems of bullying in schools, harassment and inappropriate computer use, view the online resources on the Halligans’ website . For more information about teenage suicide and depression, or to obtain counseling for adolescents and pre-adolescents who may be in crisis and considering suicide or other family emergencies, contact: First Call at 864-7777. Another number to call for suicide prevention is SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) at 1-888-511-SAVE or at the SAVE website
National Sex Offender Public Website
Pursuant to NH RSA 651-B:7, IV, the Division of State Police is required to identify and maintain a record of parties to whom the list of Registered Offenders Against Children has been disclosed.
For your convenience the Federal Decency Act, Federal Sexual Exploitation laws, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine statutes on Child Pornography/exploitation have been included here.
Federal Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children
VT Sexual Exploitation of Children Law
ME Sexual Exploitation of Minors Law
Links for Law Enforcement:
Report Power Outages (Eversource)
Civilian Response to Active Shooter
Senior Scams: The Complete Guide
Every year, roughly 7 million adults 65 and older fall victim to senior scams, according to data from Comparitech. The best way to avoid losing money or confidential information to a scammer is by learning to recognize the different types of fraud and when you may be the target.
Below are two helpful sites to review;
Scam, Fraud Alerts – Protect Your Digital Identity (aarp.org)