What is the Randolph Village Police District Traffic Bottleneck? (video)

  This is a new video explaining the report on this blog, specifically the traffic issue in the Randolph Village Police District. More video...

Monday, January 22, 2024

Comparison to Vermont Towns Similar to Randolph



Town/Village Comparisons

Please note: the information presented about towns in this section was reliable as of July, 2023, unless otherwise noted, and is subject to change, errors, and omissions.

Northfield recently went through a process similar to the process in which Randolph is currently engaged.  The town and village merged in 2014 so the entire town now pays for police coverage. Prior to 2014, the Northfield village properties paid an additional tax for the police department, yet the department covered the village and town without exception. 

The village of Northfield, VT had a 2020 population of 3,757 while the entire town had a total 2020 population of 5,918. As of December 2023, Northfield Police Chief Gomez reports they currently employ a total of 3 full time officers, with 1 part-time, 1 on military leave and 1 entering the academy, not including the Chief.

In Waterbury, the local police force was disbanded in 2018 when the town and village merged into the Town of Waterbury. The Town contracted with the Vermont State Police to provide 2 officers on a full-time basis. This arrangement is ongoing. The town population in 2020 was 5,331, with a village population of 1,801 (as of 2018). 

(source: https://www.waterburyvt.com/departments/safety)

In Vernon, the local police force was closed in 2012 after the closing of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. There is no longer a local police force in Vernon, a town of 2,192 residents.

There are smaller towns in Vermont that maintain a significant local police force, and this is due to the concentration of businesses in these areas. For example, the town of Vergennes has a population of 2,553 and funds a police force with 8 officers. However, Vergennes is in a high traffic area, with lots of daily commuters, a vibrant, active downtown, and lots of employers.

In Berlin, the population is only 2,849 but the town maintains a police force of 9 officers, presumably to cover the numerous businesses along the Barre-Montpelier Road. Berlin has an extremely high crime index of 288.3, higher than the national average, so this seems justified.

In Hardwick, the town and village merged in 1988, and the town now has a police force consisting of 4 full time officers, 3 part time officers and a chief of police. The town in 2020 had a total population of only 2,920 residents, with a crime index of 119.6. This compares to an average crime index for Randolph 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. 

There appears to be more crime in Hardwick and the size of the force appears justified. The  Hardwick chief of police reports the number of officers in Hardwick is the minimum necessary to provide 24/7 coverage, training, peak hours and down time.

In 2022, the Hardwick Police Department spent a total of $742,421 on police services for the town, less than the budget amount of $825,884 due to unfilled positions and staff turnover. The budget for 2023/24 is a total of $854,401. 

(source: https://hardwickvt.gov/government/town-clerk/town-reports/)

The town of Greensboro, VT had a contract with the Hardwick Police Department to provide services for years. In 2020, contract renewal negotiations broke down over the future costs of services to be provided, and the result is Greensboro now as a contract with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department as of March, 2021, see here:

https://greensborovt.org/message-from-greensboros-selectboard-about-the-change-in-police-services/)

In July 2021 in Georgia, VT the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department canceled a contract for services with 10 months remaining after negotiations to renew the contract broke down over costs increases for the new year. The existing contract rate was $45.15 per hour, the new rate was proposed to be $67.30 per hour, for 40 patrol hours per week, an increase of at least $46,000 per year. Georgia had a total 2020 population of 4,845 residents. 

(source:https://vtdigger.org/2021/07/07/franklin-county-sheriff-pulls-out-of-policing-services-in-town-of-georgia/)

West Rutland has a population of 2,214 and maintains a contract with the Rutland County Sheriff’s Office for police coverage totaling roughly 40 hours per week, according to the West Rutland Town Manager. She reports West Rutland used to have a small department but found they could no longer afford it. They have used the Sheriff’s Office for the past 15 or 20 years with good results.

In Richford, VT the town clerk reports the town maintains a contract for services with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for 40 hours per week. The town and village merged about 20 years ago, and now the entire town pays for coverage. It was formerly paid for by the village, similar to Randolph. 

The town of Dorset, VT, with a total of 2,133 residents, completed a public safety collaboration study in April 2015. Residents had complained that coverage historically provided by the Vermont State Police was insufficient. The study recommended that coverage be provided by the Manchester Police Department. I recommend reading this document.

 The PDF file of the study is found here: 

https://dorsetvt.org/uploads/3/5/3/5/35356792/dorset_-_manchester_public_safety_policing_study.pdf

Unfortunately, the Dorset Town Manager reports that despite the recommendation of the report, the town was unable to negotiate an acceptable contract with the Manchester Police Department. The cost of services and length of contract Manchester proposed was deemed excessive by Dorset officials and the contract was never finalized. The town currently has a 1 year renewable contract with the Bennington County Sheriff’s Office to provide 40-50 hours per week of coverage, typically 1 full time officer dedicated to Dorset each week. A contract with VSP is not possible at this time due to VSP staffing issues.

In Danville, the town clerk reports they spend a total of only $5,200 per year on a contract for services with the Caledonia County Sheriff’s Office. With a total population of 2,335 residents, the clerk says they don’t need much police coverage and can’t afford to spend more than they already do. The Danville population is higher than the Randolph village population of 2,044 residents.

In Pownal, with 3,259 residents, the town has both an elected, unpaid constable and a contract with the Bennington County Sheriff’s Office to provide coverage for 40 hours per week. This contract is currently being re-negotiated, and the town is not sure what the future costs will be or if they will be able to afford coverage.

In Sheldon, the town has a 2020 population of 2,136 residents and is currently without police coverage after the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office canceled the former contract which included 15 hours per week at a total cost of $35,000 per year. The contract rate equals roughly $44.87 per hour, based on 780 hours per year. The Sheldon Town Clerk reports the town has been unable to find any police coverage to replace the loss of the Sheriff’s Office contract.

In Woodstock, the total 2020 population of 3,005 residents includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville and West Woodstock. The police force consists of at least 4 full-time officers (including the chief) and 8 part-time officers, plus support staff. 

Woodstock has both a village and town government, and the village used to be taxed for police services that covered only the village, similar to Randolph. There were numerous attempts over the years to expand the village police district to cover the entire town, and the argument was nearly identical to the argument in Randolph. Finally, in 2006, the town voters agreed to contract with the village to provide 40 hours of coverage per week. 

The town of Woodstock continues to have a contract with the village for 40 hours per week of coverage, and 24/7 emergency coverage. The village is therefore paying 60% of the total cost. A contract between Randolph town and village, instead of a merger, may be an option for the committee to study. This could be a model for Randolph to pursue, however, in Randolph the village and town actually merged in 1984 and are now a single entity. That complicates the idea of a town/village police contract, and how to pay for it.

Finally, in Castleton the total 2020 population was 4,458 and the Castleton police force employs a total of 5 full-time officers, with an average crime index of 46.8 thru 2019. The Castleton PD provides services to the communities of Castleton, Hydeville and Bomoseen. The Castleton PD is very close to the size of the Randolph PD until 2017, but it serves a larger area. 

See more here:

https://randolphpoliceservicesdebate.blogspot.com/2023/12/vermont-towns-population-crime-index.html

It is noteworthy that none of the other towns in Vermont have partially expanded the police district.


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