'60% solution' not enough, Windham County sheriff says | Local News

BRATTLEBORO — When it comes to police coverage in Windham County, the current model is a 60 percent solution, Windham County Sheriff Mark Anderson said.

“It’s not the fault of the agencies that provide the service,” he said during a June 21 interview with various county municipal officials. “It’s the fault of the structure and the financing of the structure.”

While the state pays the salary of the sheriff and two transportation deputies for each of the state's 14 departments, Vermont sheriff's offices receive their funding through law enforcement contracts with towns, providing security and transportation for courts and SROs to local schools, and working on highway details for road projects.

Cities that do not have their own police departments either contract with the sheriff for coverage or rely on the Vermont State Police, who are obligated to cover the entire state , although staff may limit response times.

Each county provides its sheriff's department with varying amounts of administrative, secretarial, and/or custodial assistance, from part-time or full-time employees through the county budget. Windham County owns the field office building on Old Ferry Road, the former administrative offices of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee.

Under the state's “5% policy,” a sheriff may retain up to 5% of the contract value for administration, and a sheriff may also decide how much to retain, if any, and of how to use it.

A sheriff may also establish reserve funds and investment accounts to help pay for equipment, training, and other expenses necessary to operate a department.

Because of this funding structure, Anderson said, communities receive “inconsistent and uneven policing,” leading to failures in the system.

“Contracts are probably not the best solution… it’s just what Vermont law says I have to do to provide you with law enforcement services,” he said, leading to coverage gaps in some locations and redundant coverage in others, with more than 40 communications centers across the state.

“Vermont has about the same call volume as the city of Boston,” he said, questioning whether the millions of dollars invested in the infrastructure of these centers are the most cost-effective way to provide the service.

Anderson has a plan to centralize dispatch and provide 24/7 coverage throughout Windham County. He hopes to convince county residents that with an increase in county taxes, about $20 on $200,000 of property value, he can accomplish this.

Last year, Anderson said his budget was about $2 million, with $500,000 coming from taxes and the rest from the state, grants and contracts he signs with cities and for highway safety.

He estimates his budget would reach about $3.5 million if area residents and the Legislature agreed it was a good idea.

Anderson is asking the Legislature to approve a three-year trial to fund the regional service through the county tax and he said he is looking for allies to advocate for funding the pilot program.

A board of community representatives would oversee the program and work on the budget with the sheriff. The board could also make decisions about how much coverage to provide, when and where.

“I'm here to tell you how to do regionalized policing in a way that makes sense to you,” Anderson said.

The fiscal responsibility of towns like Brattleboro, with its own funded department, needs to be determined, he said, but currently Vermont spends $70 million a year on the Vermont State Police and everyone pays for that.

“We have support from 17 cities for this initiative,” Anderson said.