Citizen in a RepublicNH House Testimony

HB1087

House · 2026 sessionRepublicanKilled in House

Citizen's arrest rights for private persons

AI-generated

Allows private persons to perform a citizen's arrest for certain offenses and provides immunity from liability in specified circumstances, subject to defined limitations.

relative to citizen's arrests by private persons.Official record

Crimes, Crim.Proc. & Corr.Civil ActionsAI-generated

Division of testimonyComputed by this site

18 submissions
Neutral 0

All 5 written submissions were individually written — no organized campaign detected.

Status

Killed in the House — Inexpedient to Legislate · February 19, 2026
  1. Introduced
  2. House
  3. Senate
  4. Governor
  5. Law
Sponsors, hearings & roll-call votes

The record · every submission as filed

18 submissions
Expand
Margaret Konze
for Myself
Pembroke

This would be a disaster. Why do we even need this?

Oppose
Stephanie Vazzano
for Myself
Concord

This is a recipe for disaster and requires a knowledge of the RSAs in a way that most citizens would have no understanding of, let alone in the moment of concern relevant to this bill.

Oppose
Michaela Janowski
for Myself
Epping

This sounds a lot like vigilante justice and can pose lots of dangers, both from proper use and misuse of this authority.

Oppose
Chase Eagleson
for Members of the NH Council on Developmental Disabilities
Concord

The Members of the NH Council on Developmental Disabilities (NHCDD) believes this bill could have a negative impact on the NH disability community.

Oppose
Meg Cowan
for Myself
Wilmot

I am opposed to HB 1087-FN. While I understand that codifying and clarifying citizen’s arrest law could help define legal boundaries, I am deeply concerned that this bill could increase vigilantism, particularly in today’s tense climate. Private citizens attempting arrests face real risks of physical harm, and the legal standards around “reasonable force” and “probable cause” remain open to interpretation, creating potential legal gray areas. For these reasons, the dangers of misuse outweigh the benefits of clarifying the law.

Oppose
Kourtney Coons
for Myself
Greenland

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Maggie Johnston
for Myself
Durham

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Jessica Thagard
for Myself
Exeter

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Daniel Richardson
for Myself
Nashua

Position recorded without written comment.

Support
Krysten Evans
for ABLE NH
Concord

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Suzanna Derynioski
for Myself
Laconia

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Dana van der Bijl
for Myself
Deerfield

Position recorded without written comment.

Support
Katie McLaughlin
for Myself
Weare

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Lillian Gilman
for Myself
Gilford

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Robert Ferri
for Myself
Weare

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Eileen Kane
for Myself
Weare

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Claudia DeFuria
for Myself
Salem

Position recorded without written comment.

Oppose
Melanie Kasparian
for Myself
Hudson

Position recorded without written comment.

Support