Windham County Sheriff's Department
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BELLOWS FALLS - A former police chief who served with his hometown department for 23 years has been chosen to lead the Bellows Falls Police Department.

Russell "Rusty" O'Dell accepted the position of village police chief offered by Bellows Falls trustees earlier this month. He had worked with the Cornwall, N.Y., Police Department since 1983 and retired as police chief in December. He was born and raised in the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson.

"I like what I've heard about him, and I like what I've read about him," Village President Clark Barber said. "He will be a working chief, getting out in the community. That's what I want to see."

O'Dell's name was released Thursday after the Vermont League of Cities and Towns completed a background check. Officials said O'Dell had accepted the offer pending the background check and has looked for a home in the area.

He could not be reached for comment.

O'Dell replaces Acting Police Chief John Dunfee, who announced his resignation earlier this month to village trustees with a "heavy heart." Dunfee plans to move closer to his children in the Midwest.

The village police department is facing several issues, all laid out to O'Dell, who came to Bellows Falls before filing his application to check out the village, said Trustee Gary DeRosia, a member of the committee that interviewed candidates and a former village police chief himself.

"He's not coming into this blind," said DeRosia, who cited O'Dell's experience and working in a village within a town as Bellows Falls does within Rockingham. "I think he's got a grasp on what that means. I'm looking forward to him getting on board."

Barber also said O'Dell "knows what he is getting into and he's not afraid of it." The village president is not sure when the new police chief would start but said, "He wants to get up here soon."

O'Dell served as chief since 2002. Working his way up the Cornwall Police Department. He was promoted to detective in 1992 and became a sergeant in 1993.

Dunfee is expected to work through the end of next week. After being appointed interim chief in January after Keith Clark was elected Windham County Sheriff, Dunfee has seen several issues arise within the department he said played a role in his decision to resign beyond his family considerations.

"This department needs some work," Dunfee said.

The acting chief's departure came as Vermont State Police had nearly completed an investigation sparked by a village officer questioning if Dunfee abused overtime. Interim Municipal Manager John Schempf said a verbal report found "absolutely nothing to it whatsoever."

Dunfee has also confirmed an internal matter may also be investigated by the state police. He has not commented further on this matter.

The village police department had its budget cut back last year and ending 24/7 coverage to hold down a deficit in the village budget and tax concerns only to see residents add money to the budget this year to return to full coverage. Staffing issues have made the transition back to round-the-clock police coverage difficult. This has led to heavy use of overtime by the department, with the department running over budget by $6,000 to $7,000 every two weeks.

Dunfee and the police department, along with Clark, are also facing a civil rights lawsuit brought by Nick's owner Wayne Ryan over Ryan's arrest and being charged with obstructing justice for preventing a Vermont State Police trooper entry into his bar for lack of proper identification. Those charges were later dropped.

Barber said it was easy to check on how the community felt about him, and O'Dell was well liked.

More than 50 people applied for the job. The search committee narrowed the list and interviewed five candidates before making the recommendation to trustees.

Dan Bustard can be reached at (802) 885-1707 or by e-mail at dbustard@eagletimes.com