But officers say it's important to know this information before you're in a position where you need to know.
"Game day is not the day to be figuring out your game plan," Lt. Rick Hopkins of Vermont State Police Brattleboro barracks, said.
For instance, who responds when you call 911 depends on which town you are in at the time. Towns with a local police force will deal with that department. Smaller towns without a local force will have the state police respond, even though several towns have contracts with the sheriff's department.
There's a whole different set of protocol if you're on the highway or state-owned property, when the state police automatically respond, or if you're calling from a cell phone, which will send the call to different dispatches depending on where you get a signal from.
And all of this is thrown out the window if an officer witnesses or thinks he or she witnessed a crime, since any police officer in the state, regardless of department, has jurisdiction anywhere in the state.
If a department calls for assistance, anyone who can get there will go.
The various departments in Windham County have had to distinguish spheres to keep from stepping on each other's toes. When they overlap, there are specific rules in place ahead of time.
The Dover Police spends a lot of time responding to rural issues, such as alarms and dog complaints. "We do a little bit of everything," Police Chief Bob Edwards said.
However, because the officers tend to live in the community, they can bring a different perspective to the people they deal with.
"I think it's always a little more personal, in a community area," Edwards said. "Sometimes it's helpful because you have some insight into what a person's motivations are or their background. It gives insight into solving the problem. Other departments are sort of going in cold. There's certainly more sensitivity having those closer relationships."
The Vermont State Police respond to calls in towns that don't have their own police department. Because they are bigger, they also do a lot of investigations the local or sheriff's departments don't have the time or resources for, including drugs and arson.
The Windham County Sheriff's Department spends most of its time transporting prisoners to and from court, serving as bailiffs, extraditing criminals and work for the civil process, which includes serving papers and evictions.
They also patrol towns they have contracts with and provide assistance for the local or state police when needed.
One huge difference between the departments is how they are funded and, connected to this, who they are answerable to.
As with most local police departments, Dover Police is funded through the town budget and when problems or requests arise, Edwards speaks to the Selectboard.
While he doesn't think he's ever gone over budget, Edwards believes that "if we have an important case, we're going to follow through with it. Money should not be an object."
The state police are similarly funded, through the state budget, but with a chain of command in place that metes out punishment or rewards. Col. James Baker is at the top of this chain, but he must present reports and situations to the State Police Advisory Commission, which informs the governor of anything they find out of place.
This chain, though, Hopkins says, helps make sure there is transparency in the system. "We've clearly demonstrated to the public that we're not perfect but when we find someone does something wrong, we take care of it. We're very good at policing our own."
With great power, comes great responsibility. "It's really important, because you're putting officers out in the world who have the authority, the power, to at times suspend someone's constitutional rights or take someone's life. We have to make sure we're accountable," Hopkins said.
The sheriff's department works differently. The sheriff is an elected position, so the voters decide if they like the general direction Sheriff Keith Clark is taking the department.
While he is still answerable to the individual towns annually for contracts, he has some extra freedom on a day to day issues. "It's really up to me to make a determination of direction."
The role of the sheriff's department is different everywhere. States out west or down south put more emphasis on the county than on the town level, so the sheriff has more resources and a bigger role, Clark says.
When it comes to budgeting, though, Clark says the sheriff's department works more like a business which could, in theory, go bankrupt. "I sell law enforcement services. As a business, I have to worry about the bottom line, what can we afford?" Clark said.
Nicole Orne can be reached at norne@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 277.