NEWFANE-The Windham County Sheriff's Office invites the public to attend their Regional Policing Initiative's public meeting, Monday, Sept. 22, at 5:30 p.m., at the Windham County Courthouse, 7 Court St. This meeting will also be available online via Zoom at bit.ly/831-policing. The meeting ID is 840 2457 6405. The passcode is 390256.
Sheriff Mark Anderson will present his proposal, which seeks to improve access to rural law enforcement through shared services across municipalities, and invite discussion on the initiative.
Anderson intends to bring this initiative - developed in collaboration with towns, stakeholders, and the public - to the Vermont Legislature in January 2026. This is the fifth and final planned public meeting on the topic, which aims to improve access to law enforcement services in towns that do not have their own police department.
"Under current law, only towns and the state are charged with providing law enforcement services," Anderson said in a news release. "Our experience is that towns and our constituents expect more. The existing system is generally piecemeal and patchwork, leaving people frustrated."
The push for regionalization is not new. Numerous studies commissioned over several decades by the Legislature, the state, and independent researchers have consistently recommended regional law enforcement services as a necessary step forward for Vermont's rural communities.
The event is open to all and is intended to gather feedback about the future of policing in rural Vermont. A follow-up meeting will be hosted based on public feedback, with a proposal for future action.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.