Windham County Sheriff's Department
~ Breaking News ~

By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
Brattleboro Reformer

On Wednesday, Clark proved that you can take the chief out of the village, but it's hard to take the village out of the chief.

Three months after being elected as Windham County Sheriff, Clark came back to Bellows Falls to offer his new department's services.

Clark came before the Rockingham Emergency Services Review Committee and said the Windham County Sheriff's Department could provide full police protection for the Village of Bellows Falls and the town of Rockingham.

According to a proposal that Clark presented to the board, the Village of Bellows Falls could save approximately $200,000 annually by choosing to hire the sheriff's department to police the village.

Bellows Falls pays about $880,000 for its police department. Clark offered the board a two-year contract that would lock police services in at just under $599,000.

He said the sheriff's department could extend the law enforcement service into Saxtons River and throughout rural Rockingham for another $100,000.

Rockingham currently does not pay for police service and relies on the State Police. Saxtons River budgets $6,000 for law enforcement with the State Police.

If Bellows Falls and Rockingham choose to take Clark up on the service, it would be the largest current contract with the Windham County Sheriff's Department.

The Emergency Services Review Committee has been meeting for more than six months to try to explore opportunities to improve emergency services and to find ways to save money while providing those services.

The committee is looking into starting a townwide ambulance service and fire department, as well as various options for policing the villages of Bellows Falls and Saxtons River and rural Rockingham. The committee is made up of members from Rockingham, Bellows Falls and Saxtons River.

Clark's proposal added a new twist to what has already been an increasingly long and cumbersome quest to consolidate emergency services throughout the town.

According to the plan, Clark introduced Wednesday, the Windham County Sheriff's Department would provide service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Bellows Falls Village Trustees recently voted to reduce its police coverage to 75 percent to save money.

If the village decides to hire the Sheriff's Department, the officers would work out of the Bellows Falls police station.

The contract would include a supervisor who would serve as the local liaison, including attending necessary meetings.

Dispatching would take place out of the Sheriff's office in Newfane.

Much of the cost savings would come from the dispatch service. Bellows Falls must now pay dispatchers to cover the phone service around the clock.

Clark also said the contract would set the annual budget. He said any overtime would be covered and he said the town and village would also save some money in administration costs.

The committee members seemed intrigued with Clark's proposal and peppered him with questions about the plan.

Rockingham Selectboard member Leslie Goldman asked Clark what would happen after two years and Clark admitted that the contract could go up.

"That is one of the risks," he said.

Goldman also asked Clark about the successful program that the Bellows Falls Police Department runs with a travelling social worker who works with the officers.

Clark explained that it is a grant-funded position and it was possible to move that service to the sheriff's department.

Village Trustee Luise Light asked about traffic violation income. Clark said the village would receive 80 percent of the traffic ticket revenue.

Clark's proposal will likely go before the Village Trustees next. Light and fellow Village Trustee Gary DeRosia both said that any decision to change the police service would have to come from the voters.

DeRosia reiterated that he still favored a townwide police department.

The day-to-day police presence throughout the village would not change much if the sheriff's department takes over, according to Clark.

"It will still be your village police department. We would just be wearing a different uniform," he said.

At town meeting, Rockingham residents will decide whether or not to continue the discussions on the proposed town wide police, fire and ambulance services.

A "Yes" vote at town meeting would only keep the door open for further discussion.

A "No" vote could kill the whole idea.

Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or (802) 254-2311 ext. 279.