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Body camera funding gap at center of New Hampshire lawmaker's 107 mph traffic stop case

8/2/2026

Against the backdrop of a years-long national debate over police transparency, a traffic stop in Rockingham County, New Hampshire has exposed the distance between legislative intent and agency-level capability.

Ellen Read, a Democrat, faces charges stemming from two stops, including one in which a deputy alleged she was traveling 107 mph, and the absence of any body-worn or dashboard camera footage has become the defining fact of her legal fight.

A sheriff's office without cameras Rockingham County Sheriff's Office Major Christopher Bashaw told Fox News Digital that his agency carries neither body cameras nor dashboard cameras, citing a lack of funding.

New Hampshire lawmakers established a Body-Worn and Dashboard Camera Fund in 2021 to provide matching grants to local agencies for purchasing cameras and covering maintenance, replacement, and data storage costs.

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