November 28, 2007
- (Rutland Herald)
- "Vt.
lawmakers look to reshape state's policing" -
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Article published Nov 28,
2007
Vt. lawmakers look to reshape state's
policing
By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau
MONTPELIER — Lawmakers decided Tuesday to hire a consulting firm to take
a vast look at the face of modern-day law enforcement in Vermont, with
an eye to reshaping local and state policing and increasing cooperation
between departments.
Members of the State Law Enforcement Committee said they want to proceed
cautiously as they consider how the various state and local law
enforcement groups cooperate and where and why there are some holes in
local coverage.
This study, which could push any legislative action until the 2009
Montpelier session, will take a broad look at policing, from towns
contracting with sheriff's departments to the Vermont State Police's
responsibilities as the default law enforcement agency.
"What we are proposing is having an independent group take a look at the
state of policing in Vermont," said Rep. Donna Sweaney, D-Windsor, the
chairwoman of the Law Enforcement Committee. "An independent group is in
a good position to evaluate how we police here, from the towns up to the
state level."
Formed at the request of the Vermont Department of Public Safety, the
committee is charged with finding a way to ease the burden on the
stretched-thin Vermont State Police, who say they are responding to
routine calls in some towns that lack full police coverage.
Options being seriously discussed by the committee include establishing
a state department of law enforcement to bring all relevant state
agencies under a single umbrella to pool resources and bodies.
Another option would follow in New Hampshire's lead: Requiring all towns
or communities of more than 3,000 people to have their own police
department or contract with another relevant law enforcement agency.
State Police have said there are 21 towns in Vermont with populations
between 3,000 and 6,000 people that do not have their own police
departments. Incidents in these towns comprise about 35 percent of the
state agencies' calls.
Sweaney said the consultants would look at those options, along with
major police trends such as the difficulty in recruiting and retaining
the next generation of law enforcement officials and the high rate of
overtime in some departments.
"There is going to be a tough decision at the end of this thing," said
Rep. Robert Helm, R-Castleton, a member of the committee.
There was some resistance at first from members of the law enforcement
committee attending Tuesday's meeting to the notion of their jobs and
responsibilities being evaluated by an outside group.
But Col. Jim Baker of the State Police put those concerns to rest,
saying that he "fully supports" an independent look at policing. He said
police may need to rethink their roles and responsibilities and only an
independent look at the structure now in place can provide that.
Baker added that the landscape of crime in Vermont is shifting rapidly
as investigations into crimes such as armed robberies replace the
typical stolen bike calls police once handled.
"We're talking about a quality of life issue," he said. "And we're
working with 7 to 8 percent operating costs increases and level-funded
budgets."
Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark, who was representing county sheriffs
at the meeting Tuesday, suggested the consultants should look closely at
the statutory and Constitutional responsibilities of law enforcement
groups.
Roles evolve over time, said Clark, who pointed out the State Police's
original charge is two sentences long, but the agency has gone on to
increased responsibilities, such as carrying out all the polygraph tests
in the state.
"How did this come to be?" Clark asked. "There is a level of overlap and
lack of clarity in the rules. You have to look at that."
Sweaney vowed that when the report is released, lawmakers will take
action.
"We need to think of this as something that we will move on," she said.
"This will not be a report that sits on the shelf."
Contact Daniel Barlow at
daniel.barlow@rutlandherald.com. |
