relative to citizen's arrests by private persons.
HB 1087 allows private citizens in New Hampshire to make arrests for specific crimes they witness or have reasonable belief about, directly affecting anyone who might witness a crime. It permits arrests for felonies seen in person, misdemeanors involving a breach of peace seen in person, or felonies with probable cause, but prohibits entering homes for misdemeanor arrests and requires using only reasonable force. The bill mandates that arrestors immediately notify police, inform the person being arrested, and release them to law enforcement without delay. It grants legal immunity for good-faith arrests meeting these conditions, but not for gross negligence or reckless actions, while directing the Department of Safety to educate the public about the rules.
Bill status
failed
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Dec 1, 2025
Last action Feb 19, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
5
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Feb 9, 2026
Committee
Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/04/2026 (Vote 13-0; CC) HC 7 P. 6
lower
Dec 1, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety HJ 1 P. 5
lower
0 primary · 7 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 1087
Scope: NH
Hi! I can help you understand HB 1087. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline