LEBANON — Two new measures allow Lebanon police officers to issue tickets for minor drug and alcohol offenses, reforms that police say will keep “hundreds” of cases out of the court system and benefit prosecutors and defendants alike.
The City Council voted, 8-1, Wednesday night to approve changes that give police the option to issue civil penalties to those found violating Lebanon’s open container law or in possession of drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and hypodermic needles.
The new system, which police describe as similar to getting a speeding ticket as opposed to a criminal conviction, will replace one where the accused would receive a district court summons.
“That person has to take time out of work or school to appear in front of the judge,” Lebanon Police Chief Richard Mello told the City Council during Wednesday’s meeting. “It’s another case that our prosecutor has to handle, it’s another case that the court has to handle.”
Instead, he said, people can now choose to either pay a ticket outright or appeal it in court.
Although city councilors were largely in favor of the move, many advocated for further reforms. Hefty fines, they said, disproportionately burden poor people and those struggling from substance abuse.
“We do this not thinking that we solved the problem, but we’re on a path, and we need to go down that path until we come up with a better solution,” Councilor Erling Heistad told colleagues just before Wednesday’s vote.
Councilor Jim Winny agreed, saying officials should engage in a more in-depth discussion about policing, particularly as the City Council prepares to craft a budget for 2021.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “It just seems like we’re going to need to devote some solid time to this and really kind of dig into it.”
City Councilor George Sykes was the lone no vote. He said he wanted more statistical information on the matter from police.
The vote came after Lebanon residents and activists urged the city to abolish fines for crimes associated with substance abuse and invest in social services that could help stem problems.
Asma Elhuni, movement politics director for Rights & Democracy New Hampshire, said that fines are an “unethical” way to deal with substance abuse because the city profits from that money.
The system “unfairly focuses those in poverty to continue to be targeted while offering those with financial means a way to avoid the violence of our criminal justice system that those in poverty must face,” said Elhuni, a Lebanon resident who helped found the grassroots group Rise! Upper Valley.
Lebanon resident Rory Gawler also asked that the city reexamine its approach to policing, saying that issuing hundreds of tickets as opposed to summonses is still “too much.”
“We’re talking about a huge amount of the city’s resources going to deal with an issue that I don’t think is harming the city or the rest of the citizens,” he said.
The City Council ultimately promised to hold talks about its fine system and policing in the coming months. It also voted unanimously to reduce the fines for violating the open container and drug paraphernalia ordinances down to $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense and $200 for any subsequent offenses.
The police department had initially proposed fines of $200 for a first offense and $300 for anything after that.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.