By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – There was unanimous support for a bill heard Wednesday that would extend a $100,000 state death benefit to the family of Bradley Haas, killed while unarmed and working as a security guard at New Hampshire Hospital on Nov. 17, 2023.
A man who authorities said had been committed to the hospital in the past, opened fire on Haas and killed him. A responding state trooper killed the gunman.
Since then, state officials and lawmakers have been working to learn from that incident and now there is a better security situation in place at the state hospital, said the bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester.
The traditional death benefit usually goes to sworn police officers killed in the line of duty, but in this case, despite being retired from 28 years with the Franklin Police Department, Bradley Haas, 63, of Franklin was not a sworn police officer, said D’Allesandro.
He introduced Senate Bill 605-FN-A to the Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee Wednesday noting it was not at the request of the family but something that was almost unanimously supported by those in the state in law enforcement.
“It’s nice when we do the right thing,” D’Allesandro said.
Chairman Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, offered an amendment to the bill to additionally create a study committee to look at similar circumstances where other non-sworn officers working security in New Hampshire, including those at the State House, could be included in such a benefit if a similar situation occurred.
Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, a member of the committee, suggested that prevention of such incidents should also be explored by that committee.
New Hampshire State Police Captain Brendan Davey spoke in support of the bill and when asked by Sen. Carrie Gendreau, R-Littleton if he thought that security guards like Haas should be armed, he said he thought it would be good “to greet that threat at the earliest possibility.”
Also speaking in support of the bill and the proposed amendment was Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein, a 45-year sworn officer of the state who replaced Haas as chief.
He said he worked long ago on workplace violence issues and trained across the state and said he is disappointed that to this day, some of the recommendations of that effort have not been implemented.
No one spoke in opposition to the bill.
Pearl said seven others signed up to support it but did not wish to speak.
Twenty of the Senate’s 24 members have signed on to support the bill which is here https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=2261&inflect=2.
Another bill related to that tragedy which is making its way through the House of Representatives, is House Bill 1711 https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=2243&inflect=2 the so called “Bradley’s Law.”
It would allow state officials to enter into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for weapons purchases information related to a person’s involuntary committal to a mental health facility, having been found not guilty by reason of insanity, having been found a danger to themselves or others, or having been found incompetent to stand trial.
That bill received bipartisan support at a hearing on Feb. 2.
Paula Tracy is a veteran journalist who has worked for the New Hampshire Union Leader and WMUR before joining InDepthNH.org