Vermont Towns - Population, Crime Index and Police Coverage Comparison

Main Street in Randolph during the 1960's

Vermont Towns - Population, Crime Index and Police Coverage Comparison

The following is a comparison of various Vermont towns including population, crime index and police coverage per 1,000 residents. The data shows numerous small and medium size towns rely on either the State Police or Sheriff's office for police coverage.

Randolph had a total of 6 full time officers in 2016/2017, with a crime index of 35.7 for a village population of 2,012 residents. This translates to a coverage ratio of 2.85 officers per 1,000 residents, rather high when compared to towns of similar size and crime index.

The proposed FY 2025 budget to cover the entire Town of Randolph projects a total of 8 full time officers with 4,774 residents, for a ratio of 1.68 officers per resident, more in line with neighboring towns police coverage.

Crime Statistics

Statistics on crime in Randolph show a gradual decline in crime overall since 2006. Specifically, research on city-data.com shows a crime index of 35.4 for 2017, the most recent year shown (the last year Randolph had a police department). This compares to a crime index of 66.2 for 2006, with an average crime index between 2006 and 2017 of 56.6 for the 11 year period. The local data compares to an average crime index of 270.6 for the entire United States. 

Within Vermont, comparable cities and towns include Castleton with a population of 4,458 and a crime index of 46.8, Morristown with a population of 5,434 and a crime index of 116.6, Hinesburg with a population of 4,698 and a crime index of 72.1, while Northfield has a population of 5,918 with a crime index of 100.6. Figures for larger cities include Montpelier with a population of 8,074 and a crime index of 209.4, and St. Johnsbury has a population of 7,364 and a crime index of 120.1, while smaller villages such as Bethel have no published crime index.

I have included a sample of the data below, the entire spreadsheet is included below as Exhibit A - Vermont Cities & Towns, Population, Crime Index and Police Coverage.

Town	2020 Pop	2019 Crime Index	# Officers	Officers/1,000 Pop.
Castleton	4,458	46.80	5	1.21
Hinesburg	4,698	222.10	4	0.85
Hardwick	2,920	119.60	5+	1.71
Morristown	5,434	116.60	11	2.02
Northfield	5,918	81.60	7+	1.17
Montpelier	8,074	174.00	17	2.30
Randolph Village	2,102	35.4 (2017)	6	2.85
Randolph Town	4,774		8	1.68
Springfield	9,063	190.40	13	1.46
St. Johnsbury	7,434	180.60	10	1.40
2019 Vermont State Average				2.19

Based on the crime index statistics, criminal activity in Randolph is relatively low when compared to other cities and towns in the state. Northfield has a townwide population roughly 24% larger than Randolph, yet has a crime index nearly double that of Randolph. Northfield also employs a total of 7 police officers, nearly double the number proposed for Randolph. That would seem to correlate with the crime index and expected criminal activity. (Source: https://www.city-data.com)

Not including Randolph, there are at least 27 Vermont towns with populations between 2,000 to over 5,000 residents that have no local police department (see Exhibit A). These include Fairfax, Georgia, Derby, East Montpelier, and Williamstown.