Bethlehem Police Department

10/19/2026

As election season gets underway, NHDOT is reminding candidates and campaign workers that political signs are prohibited within State highway rights-of-way and may be removed when they create a safety hazard or interfere with highway operations.
Signs that interfere with traffic or highway maintenance, including mowing, may also be removed.
Candidates should place signs only on private property with the property owner’s permission and remove all signs by the required deadline following the election.
Read the full requirements provided in the comments.

10/19/2026

Please ask property owners if you can post political signage on their property. They do have the right to remove it from their property.

Since there seems to be some confusion regarding political sign posting, here is the actual NH Statute.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

TITLE LXIII
ELECTIONS
CHAPTER 664
POLITICAL EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Political Advertising
Section 664:17
664:17 Placement and Removal of Political Advertising. – No political advertising shall be placed on or affixed to any public property including highway rights-of-way or private property without the owner's consent. All political advertising shall be removed by the candidate no later than the second Friday following the election unless the election is a primary and the advertising concerns a candidate who is a winner in the primary. Signs shall not be placed on or affixed to utility poles or highway signs. Political advertising may be placed within state-owned rights-of-way as long as the advertising does not obstruct the safe flow of traffic and the advertising is placed with the consent of the owner of the land over which the right-of-way passes. No person shall remove, deface, or knowingly destroy any political advertising which is placed on or affixed to public property or any private property except for removal by the owner of the property, persons authorized by the owner of the property, or a law enforcement officer removing improper advertising. Political advertising placed on or affixed to any public property may be removed by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel. Political advertising removed prior to election day by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel shall be kept until one week after the election at a place designated by the state, city, or town so that the candidate, or a member of the candidate's campaign or local political committee of the same party may retrieve the items.
Source. 1979, 436:1. 1994, 4:28. 2006, 273:1. 2013, 24:1, eff. July 15, 2013. 2023, 41:1, eff. July 18, 2023.

09/07/2026

We hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. We had a tremendous amount of traffic in town and it appeared as the though majority of drivers were being safe, responsible and respectful.

Speaking of safety - Now that school is back in session, and your child might be riding a bicycle to school, we want to let you know that we have some bicycle helmets at the police department if your child needs one. Stop by the police department or give us a call and we'll be happy to deliver them to your home. 🥳

Regarding bicycles - the children have been told we would prefer they ride on the sidewalks in times of heavy vehicular traffic for safety reasons. They were also told they must respect pedestrians - as the primary purpose of a side"walk" is for walkers. A driver was recently arrested for Reckless Driving, for driving into the 30mph zone by Maplewood at over 70mph. He subsequently crashed at the entrance to Hedgerose Lane with his pregnant wife and toddler daughter in the vehicle. He was attempting to hide from the officer, but couldn't make the corner at 60mph. The officer was in the process of writing a ticket to a driver going 54 in the 30mph. This is why we allow the children to use the sidewalks. Adults have experience and situational awareness (generally speaking) - though they don't necessarily follow the rules of the road - stopping at stop signs, using hand signals, walking the bike across the crosswalk, having lights at night (Yes, those are actual laws.), but children are still learning. If you see them doing something wrong - kindly inform us and we will be happy to address it.

Let's all try to work together to make our community a safe, welcoming space for all.

08/26/2026

Congratulations to our newest full-time certified officer Matthew Riccio. Ofc. Riccio graduated from New Hampshire Police Standards & Training's 203rd Basic Police Academy on Friday August 21, 2026. Ofc. Riccio completed sixteen weeks of training on topics including: motor vehicle laws, criminal laws, juvenile laws, impaired driving detection and enforcement, interview and interrogation, crime scene processing, emergency vehicle response driving, fi****ms proficiency, defensive tactics, tools and handcuffing, courtroom procedure, officer survival, and many other topics relevant to the job requirements of a law enforcement official. Along with the classroom components, the officer were placed in numerous scenarios that they may encounter during the course of their careers, to provide them with the opportunity to successfully resolve the scenarios before they encounter them on duty. Graduating is the first step in solidifying a successful career in law enforcement.
Ofc. Riccio was back on the road today for his first full shift since graduation. Thank you to Board of Selectmen member April Hibberd, Town Manager Mary Moritz and Fire Chief Joe Wood for attending the ceremony. Thank you Franconia Police Deparment Officer Adam Clark for attending as well. Ofc. Clark was Ofc. Riccio's former supervisor at the Grafton County House of Corrections, and was instrumental in bringing Ofc. Riccio to our agency. Ofc. Riccio is also a United States Army Veteran. When you see Ofc. Riccio out and about, please welcome him to our community! Congratulations Ofc. Riccio!

08/26/2026

As the new school year begins, the Bethlehem Police Department would like to remind everyone to please drive carefully in our school zones and remember to stay alert and watch for children. Be mindful of school zone speed limits, stop for school buses and crossing guards, and eliminate cellphones and any distractions while driving. We hope everyone has a safe 2026-2027 school year!

07/09/2026

If you're not busy Saturday, we encourage you to attend this event at the Profile School property from 9am-5pm supporting Operation Beyond the Battlefield.

07/04/2026

Please attend the Mulburn Inn's fireworks display this evening. If it's anything like last year, it'll be great! Do us a favor though and make sure your vehicle is parked beyond the white line and out of the travel lane! Cpl. Ball and Ofc. Redmond will be out reminding people and slowing traffic. Enjoy!

07/04/2026

From all of us here at the Bethlehem Police Department we wish you a Happy 250th Independence Day! Stay safe.

06/06/2026

Bethlehem Police Department and Bethlehem Fire Department along with assistance from Franconia Police Department, Franconia FD, Sugar Hill Police Department, and Sugar Hill FD assisted Profile High School with their yearly parade through the three towns celebrating our graduating seniors. We would like to congratulate them on their hard work and we wish them well in their futures!

04/23/2026