Windham County Sheriff's Department
~ Breaking News ~

By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
  BELLOWS FALLS -- As questions surface about how the village will be able to continue to pay for police protection, the officers of the Bellows Falls Police Department have scheduled a special public session to give their sides of the story.

Officers from the village department will be at the Masonic Temple on Westminster Street from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.

The meeting was scheduled by Interim Police Chief Jim Cronan to get the officers out into the community and give the village residents a chance to ask questions and share thoughts about police service in Bellows Falls.

"The chief wants to get the officers more familiar with the community," said officer Dave Bemis. "We want them to come with questions. We won't be afraid to answer the hard questions if people want to come out and ask them."

The community meeting has been scheduled as the village enters a pivotal period in its relationship with the department.

The police union has asked to open contract negotiations and talks between the village and the police will likely be scheduled for the early part of next year.

The current contract expires June 30, 2008.

The village is also taking another look at the offer on the table from the Windham County Sheriff's Department to take over law enforcement in Bellows Falls.

Sheriff Keith Clark was at the last trustees' meeting to talk about the change and trustees are considering the option.

The village is also without a full-time chief, though the hiring committee is going through the 57 applications that came in. And at the same time, Municipal Manager Jim Mullen plans to contact other area departments to see if they might be able to take over some of the protection for the village.

Mullen plans to start on next year's budget and the police department price tag will likely approach $1 million.

Mullen he said he is going to meet with police chiefs in Springfield, Hartford and Chester about possibly taking over a portion of the department's current responsibilities. He also wants to schedule a meeting with the Vermont State Police.

"It is very hard for a village of this size to have police service 24-7," Mullen said. "The trustees want me to see if there is a way we can get help with it."

Because the small village is forced to keep a tight budget, when special investigations happen, or when an officer is away, the other officers are asked to work overtime.

The overtime pay can quickly send the budget into the red, and after years of village residents hesitating to fully endorse the department at the annual meeting, the trustees are exploring their options.

This Monday's meeting was arranged by the department, Mullen said, to open a dialogue with the voters.

"This is part of their effort to get out more on the street and get people to know the officers," Mullen said. "An important part of what they do is getting out to interact with the community and this meeting is hopefully going to help with that."

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