This post is my response to questions about the history of Randolph and why it matters to the police district. I would like to thank everyone for their feedback, and to those signing the petition.
It is a long essay, because this is a complicated issue, but I will get to the point, I promise. The history is to understand why the police district was created in the first place, and why the need has changed.
I can only post short pieces on front porch forum, so I am doing one post a day, hopefully that makes it easier to read. I apologize in advance to those that don't like to read; nothing worthwhile is easy.
Individually, I think most people would say they don’t need law enforcement on their street. I don’t see a dire need for police on Elm Street. Collectively, however, when the need for law enforcement arises, most people appreciate having police coverage. The critical question is really what happens without it? It is not a question of individual needs, but the needs of the entire town.
I intend to demonstrate how times change and yet people get stuck with the status quo and don’t want to change with the times. The village used to be much busier than it is today, because the village used to be the destination for commerce in the region. When I moved here in 1981, the village businesses were the major employer, and there were people everywhere. The businesses south of the village today did not exist 40 years ago, when the town and village merged together. Restaurants were busy. Shops were full. Vacancies were minimal. Business was good.
Randolph is somewhat unique because the village is the intersection of several state highways which provide the bulk of traffic, especially during peak times. People are either going to one of the regional schools, the hospital, or they are traveling THRU the village to get to work or to shop, especially at one of the businesses south of the village district. Years ago, people were traveling TO the village, either to work or to shop. The village was the reason for the traffic, now the village is stuck in the middle of traffic. Most people are not stopping to shop or work in the village, they are passing thru. Our geography is more similar to Northfield and Waterbury than Chelsea and Tunbridge.
The village is busy because of the location, not because it is a destination. Where before the village needed local police coverage due to the activity of business and residents, we now see primarily traffic enforcement in the time spent by officers. Arrests are way down compared to past years, it was several hundred per year in the 1990’s, last year less than 50. However, traffic tickets have increased and warnings are thru the roof. Even DWI enforcement is nothing compared to the past, we have no bars now. The village after 5 pm is very quiet. Restaurants have trouble staying open, and we have numerous vacant buildings. People shop on Amazon.
If the village was not the junction of several state highways, the need to enforce traffic laws would diminish. The village only has 2,000 people, compared to 5,000 for the entire town. The history shows that the need for local law enforcement in the village was driven primarily by business that does not exist in the village today. That is why the village was fine with 3 deputies providing 120 hours per week from the OCSD under the recent contract, compared to 6 full-time officers, plus part-time, in the past under Chief Mollitor and Chief Krakowiecki.
The problem is it is difficult but not impossible to run a department with only 3 officers, with vacation, sick time, leave, etc.. In 2020, there were 1,983 police departments with 2-4 full time officers, about 17% of all agencies nationwide. However, it is more expensive due to economies of scale.
If the town does not want to expand the district, then the village could simply refuse to fund more than 3 full-time officers, with overtime in the case of emergency. When the shift is over, they go off-duty and all calls go to the state police.
I think the calls reported by the state police in 2023, about 1,000 coming from town (not village), demonstrate the need for local coverage, but I understand the reluctance. I am simply trying to show that our needs have changed, and therefore so should our approach to providing police coverage. If we continue to rely on outside agencies, then we give up control as we saw when the OCSD contract was canceled.
Yes, running our own department has issues, every decision has implications. All law enforcement agencies are lacking qualified personnel. But if we have a police department, we owe the officers working our full support.
I am still working on this. The other problem is severe inflation in the cost of law enforcement. More soon.
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