TUNBRIDGE, Vt. (WCAX) – The town of Chelsea is looking beyond its county borders for more police presence. And it’s not alone, as more communities look for new solutions to combat rising crime.
Despite being the county seat of Orange County, Chelsea recently signed a new contract with the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department to increase public safety. Nearby Tunbridge has followed suit.
“Times are changing. We are not living in a sleepy little town, although Tunbridge has been very fortunate,” said Tunbridge Selectboard Chair Gary Mullen. But he says big city problems are encroaching on the rural landscape. “You watch the WCAX news every morning and you see there’s been a shooting somewhere or drug-related something going on.”
Tunbridge doesn’t have its own police department and currently contracts with the Royalton Police for part-time coverage. But now, the town is considering a new option — the Windsor Country Sheriff’s Department. “More bang for our buck basically,” Mullen said.
Sheriff’s deputies have to drive through Tunbridge on their way to Chelsea, where a new roughly 14-hour a week, $47,000 a year contract with that community is also up and running.
“We are going to be there both daytime and nighttime,” said Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer.
Chelsea officials say because the Orange County Sheriff’s Department iss stretched thin, they looked to the outside agency. Sheriff Palmer says it’s not just about more patrols but re-thinking how policing is done. “Stopping in the schools, stopping into the businesses, getting to know the community and focusing on the problems of the community and trying to be a problem solver,” he said.
“People complain about the things that are going on in the night,” Mullen said. He says solutions may come but with a steep price tag. “Just a few years ago we were only paying five or six thousand dollars a year with Orange County and then we went up to ten. And now we are looking at 40 or 50 or 60 or whatever, so that is a substantial jump.”
Mullen says community members are encouraged to give their input for their vision of public safety this Town Meeting Day.
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