Despite some students' concerns over the costs of the Hanover Police Department's Alcohol Diversions Program, the department makes less money from the program than they would if participants instead were arrested and went through the court system, according to Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone. From July 2009 to June 2010, the town of Hanover would have received $4,621 in additional revenue if the individuals who went through Diversions had instead been forced to pay the standard fine for their offenses in court, Giaccone said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Diversions is available to individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 who are arrested for alcohol-related offenses, Giaccone said. The program requires participants to attend two sessions one six-hour educational session typically held every other Saturday and a brief one-on-one follow-up session with a counselor. Upon completion of the program, participants have the arrest removed from their record without formal charges being filed.
The fee to participate in the program is $400, according to the Hanover Police Department website.
Between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, approximately 98 individuals participated in Diversions, Giaccone said, adding that the police department's total revenue from the program was $39,275. The total costs associated with the program were $14,496 meaning that the department gained a total of $24,779 over the course of the year.
If Diversions did not exist, under New Hampshire law, students arrested for unlawful possession of alcohol or for public intoxication would be fined $300 for their first offense, which would go to the General Fund, and then would be required to pay $60 in court costs, Giaccone said in the interview.
If the students who participated in Diversions this past calendar year paid the $300 fee, the department's net revenue would have been $29,400, compared to the $24,779 of net revenue gained from the Diversions program, Giaccone said. As a result, Hanover residents' tax rates would not be as high, he said.
Although most Hanover residents are likely unaware that their taxes are higher because of the Diversions program, Giaccone said he thinks the benefits of the program are worth the costs.
This "profit" does not go directly to the police station, according to Giaccone.
"[Profits] will go directly into the General Fund to offset the tax rate paid by the residents and business owners that own property in the town of Hanover," Giaccone said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
Since July 1, 2010, the Diversions program has taken in $16,475 and paid $5,935 in fees a significantly higher amount than the police department usually sees by this time of the year, Giaccone said.
Giaccone did not identify any particular policy that has contributed to increased participation in the program this year, but said he does not think the department's approach to enforcement has played a role in the number of individuals participating in Diversions.
"Our cases are usually reactive because most of them are generated by ambulance calls when people over-indulge," he said. "We're reacting to an event that occurs, not going out and getting people."
Although the Hanover Select Board cut funding to the Hanover Police last March, the department has seen an increase in funding from the federal government, according to Giaccone.
Giaccone argued that the Diversions program is not intended to financially strain those who go through it. Participants must pay $400 to participate because that amount is "close to what the court actually charges," he said.
The police department feels justified in making the Diversions fee slightly higher than the typical costs of the fine and court fees because the department has "fees to pay" and there are "certain consequence the person won't suffer if they go through Diversions," Giaccone said.
Participants in Diversions can avoid the courts altogether allowing the alcohol incident to not affect future employment or graduate school opportunities, according to Giaccone.
"[Diversions] is definitely more advantageous for the person, even though it costs $40 more," he said. "There's a hell of a lot more pluses than minuses."
Much of the cost of Diversions goes toward paying for the session with licensed substance abuse counselor Sara Degennaro, Giaccone said.
"The licensed counselor gets about $900 for a session, which includes [the educational session] and the follow-up," Giaccone said.
Degennaro's assistant earns $250 per session, and Giaccone's administrative assistant, who handles all scheduling matters, also receives compensation, he said.
Although raising the cost of Diversions could help offset the costs associated with the program, Giaccone said the Hanover Police Department chose to keep the cost at $400. The Diversions fee will only increase if the state raises the fine for alcohol-related offenses, he said.
"We didn't want to make [the fee] $1,000," Giaccone said. "I think that defeats the purpose."
Giaccone said members of the police department believe the potential for rehabilitation is more important than a minor financial gain, he said.
