Across the state, dual reports of rising crime and police staffing shortages have left some communities fearful.
In the southern Vermont towns of Killington, Norwich and Springfield, municipal leaders hope to deal with those concerns by increasing the size of their police forces in the next fiscal year.
Killington Police Chief Robert “Whit” Montgomery is asking voters to support a 44% budget increase so his department can hire a fourth full-time officer. At more than $296,000, the proposed police budget is roughly double what it was two years ago, the Mountain Times first reported.
Already in 2023, Killington has had 11 thefts reported from motor vehicles, Montgomery said, up from last year’s nine; the five-year average is 3.8. Many of the thefts were from vehicles that were unlocked, he said.
Population nearly doubled between 2010 and 2020 in Killington, a town now of about 1,400. And on busy ski weekends, between 15,000 and 20,000 people flood into town, Montgomery said. That influx needs an increased police presence to match, he suggested, and he hopes to reestablish a neighborhood watch program to get new residents involved in the community.
“Police set it up, but then the citizens run with it,” he said. “Something as simple as writing down a license plate” can help police investigate crimes, Montgomery noted.
In Norwich, a group of citizens concerned by what they call dwindling safety services in town have called for additional police funding. The town’s new police chief has requested the same.
Through a petition, the group of residents, calling itself “Stand Up for Norwich,” asked that the town add a fifth full-time officer to the payroll. The group originally wanted a binding vote to add about $80,000 to the department’s budget to pay for the officer, but the town selectboard decided to amend the Town Meeting article to treat the police expansion as a suggestion rather than a demand.
Still, Norwich’s police department will grow if the town budget is approved. The police chief initially requested a 32% budget increase. The town ultimately decided to send a budget before town voters that increased the police budget by 16.4%, or a little more than $100,000.
In Springfield, the town’s proposed budget will fund 13 rather than 11 patrol officers. Having experienced both high-profile drug crime and a notable police staffing shortage last year, the town has managed to hire four new officers as well as dispatch staff in recent months, according to Town Manager Jeff Mobus. Mobus said the plan is to fund 15 patrol officers starting July 2024, which the town considers “full staffing,” and would allow a return to 24/7 police coverage.
Because of the police department’s previous low staffing, the town spent less than was budgeted, which will lessen the tax spike when more officers are hired, according to Mobus. The proposed police budget of almost $2,260,000 is about 15.5% greater than the previous year’s.
While Springfield has had success recruiting law enforcement personnel, there’s reason to believe widespread staffing shortages aren’t going away.
According to Ken Hawkins, director of training at the Vermont Police Academy, the number of people applying to become certified officers is “still down considerably from pre-Covid.”
“I can say that overall, most agencies are still having difficulty finding qualified applicants, and in the numbers they need to maintain their respective staffing,” he wrote in an email to VTDigger.
Yet those with the funds — and with some luck — are looking to hire in the next year. That is, if voters will allow it.
