NEWFANE — The Windham County Sheriff's Department put in 27¼ hours of service on 24 calls here in July, according to sheriff's office representative Cpl. Mark Anderson, delivering the department's monthly report to the Selectboard on Aug. 1.
Anderson also provided a sneak peek at next month's report. Earlier that day, he said, two homes apparently were broken into.
“A couple of alarms went off today, and it sounded like there was entry made into houses, so they weren't false alarms, Anderson told the board.
“It's very preliminary information; I don't know where the dust has settled since then,” he said.
Anderson characterized July as “overall a pretty quiet month,” with officers principally engaged in motor vehicle enforcement: driving around back roads, ensuring highway safety, and enforcing DUI laws.
He said that seasonal homes are targets for break-ins in the spring and fall, when their owners are away for longer stretches. “If a break-in occurs now we might not hear about it until wintertime, when people return to visit their seasonal homes,” he said.
He also noted that, on Aug. 1, a logging truck took out a telephone pole up on Timson Hill Road.
Reached for comment about the break-ins, Sheriff's Department Dispatcher Stan Wasilewski advised part-time residents to cultivate good relationships with their neighbors.
“If neighbors are comfortable enough, they can keep an eye out for each other,” he said.
He added that home alarms do work as advertised, but that the calls typically go to the State Police.