Vermont State Police Seek Better Coverage for Towns
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"We provide all the police services here in the county but we are only so big," Trayah told the Select Board last week. "Unfortunately, the town of Readsboro and other towns aren't getting the service they deserve."
Looking to "open lines of communication," Trayah urged the town to work more closely with the state police to help avert what he called "large problems."
"What I'm here to do is to know about issues before they become problems. I can deal with issues but problems can get out of hand," Trayah told the board.
Trayah recommended having one or more representatives from the town attend the Bennington County Community Advisory Board. Working together with other towns, the advisory board allows communities to share resources, relate experiences and offer solutions.
"What we've discovered at our meetings is that there are other towns that go through the same issues. Instead of sitting there and trying to reinvent the wheel, we can find solutions by listening to what others have done," said Trayah.
According to the lieutenant, the town might want to consider forming its own police force, possibly in conjunction with Searsburg and Stamford. The tri-town force could be governed by a public safety board composed of members from all three towns that would be responsible for overseeing the department.
"You could easily get a one- or two-person police department going and pay one-third of the cost," said Trayah. "Even with lights going and sirens blaring, it would take half an hour to 45 minutes for [the state police] to get here and that's a best-case scenario. You should get more than what you get now."
Trayah also mentioned the possibility of creating a Select Board-appointed constable position that would give the town control over the role.
"We're not looking to get some young gun in here saying 'I'm the law.' Times are changing and we're getting more and more complaints and we can't be everywhere," he said.
The Shaftsbury barracks covers 15 towns in the county, only three of which have full-time police departments. On a day like Tuesday, when only two troopers were available, it becomes difficult for officers to properly protect citizens.
Resident Larry Hopkins questioned Trayah about the state police's tendency to remain on state-owned roads rather than opting to concentrate on in-town patrols.
"Someone going 45 [miles an hour] in a 35 zone, is that dangerous? Yes. But if they go off the road, they'll dent up their car, maybe get some bumps and bruises but someone going 85 in some of those 50 zones goes off the road, they probably won't make it. These people are a major threat to public safety on state roads," Trayah said.
Noting that the level of foot traffic is greater on town roads, Hopkins noted that it might be more important to focus trooper efforts there.
"In order to protect citizens, we're looking at this as a balance," Trayah said.
Trayah also said that all revenue from a ticket issued on town roads, minus the surcharge, goes back to the town.
According to Select Board Chairman Raymond Eilers, the board will consider sending town representatives to the next community advisory board meeting on June 26 but he did not say if the board had an official stance on creating a police force.
