LONDONDERRY — The town has entered into a contract for 20 hours of weekly policing services with the Windham County Sheriff's Office as of July 13.
Voters at the Annual Town Meeting on May 1 overwhelmingly voted to support the $41,000 one-year contract, the first such agreement between the town and the Sheriff's Office.
The contract was originally intended to start July 1, but negotiations between the two parties reached an impasse over issues of liability and insurance.
In the end, longstanding concerns over speeding and public safety overrode the recommendation by Town Attorney Bob Fisher to reject the contract as proposed by the Sheriff's Office, and the Selectboard voted to approve the proposal at its July 12 meeting.
According to the contract, services include “furnishing patrols, investigating, apprehending, preparing for prosecution, and the final disposition of any motor vehicle violation, vehicle identification number (VIN) verification, and local ordinance violations.”
For a number of years, the town contracted with the Vermont State Police for law enforcement services for the town beyond the scope of its regional duties.
Town Administrator Shane O'Keefe explained to The Commons that the VSP provided as much as $86,000 of these supplemental services in years past, but its capacity to do so has been dwindling. In FY 2020, voters approved a $5,000 ceiling for the policing.
“Because Londonderry is somewhat remote to VSP's Westminster barracks, and we understood that there were no troopers living in the Londonderry area, opportunities for overtime patrols beyond the standard patrols provided by troopers were limited,” O'Keefe said.
The town was finally informed in March - amicably - via email from Lt. Anthony French, station commander of the Westminster barracks, that continuation of the service would not be possible.
In the news release, O'Keefe noted “a significant increase in complaints about excessive traffic speeds in particular, and the Selectboard has expressed a strong interest in proactive community safety and law enforcement.”
The new contract calls for approximately 20 hours per week of patrol services as a special emphasis.
O'Keefe said the Sheriff's Office “appears to be a great match for the town given its existing successful association with our neighbors, Jamaica and Windham.”
Windham County Sheriff Mark R. Anderson contracts with a dozen municipalities in the county for law enforcement services. He oversees an office of 32 personnel, including 20 sworn deputy sheriffs.
“Improving rural policing and access to emergency services has been a priority of ours,” Anderson said in the news release.