In the late 1960s, The Valley was experiencing some property crimes.
There were a number of seasonal homes owned by predominately
out-of-state owners who were here only occasionally. At that time,
there were a lot of breaking into these homes and property crimes were
being committed. Though there were some traffic problems we dealt with,
this was our primary focus.
At that time, The Valley boasted of two sworn law enforcement officers.
We were both members of the Washington County Sheriff's Department.
Deputy Sheriff Nelson Patch and I would patrol The Valley primarily on
weekends, but we both were provided with a special alarm phone at our
residences.
Through the Waitsfield-Fayston Telephone Company, many of the vacation
homes in The Valley were equipped with a silent burglar alarm. When the
house was entered and the alarm was not turned off, the two phones
would ring and Nelson and I would be alerted as to the name of the
residence along with directions to the property. Through the use of
this system, the perpetrators were unaware they had in fact triggered
the alarm, giving Nelson and I the opportunity to apprehend the
individuals inside. We were very successful in this endeavor, and I
know of one house on Route 17 that was burglarized three different
times, and we were successful in catching the individuals on all three
occasions.
Later on, the Vermont State Police stationed first one and then two
resident troopers in The Valley who worked with Nelson and me in these
efforts.
In the news article, reference was made to the cost of having
round-the-clock coverage as Stowe and Waterbury. Under the
circumstances, I would have to agree this is a prohibitive cost for the
towns in The Valley. However, I would suggest a plan that would employ
seven-day-a-week coverage, but only from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day.
Now you have one shift instead of three.
Currently the towns of Warren and Waitsfield are providing 40 hours of
coverage through the Washington County Sheriff's Department. Two things
could be considered at this point. Turn those 40 hours into 40 hours of
patrol from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., then add another 16 hours to this and
you have seven-day-a-week coverage by adding only 16 hours a week. If
the town of Fayston would join the program for the 16 hours, Warren and
Waitsfield would not have to pay any more than they are now. The loss
would be any revenue currently gained by speeding tickets. That is a
decision to be made by the select board, as to which is needed.
My suggestion is for the three town select boards to meet with Sheriff
Hill, who already has a dispatch set up for those hours, who has the
manpower, the equipment and knowledge to provide this service. I would
recommend that if this plan was instituted, it would be expected the
officers would be spending their time patrolling the back roads, the
business parking lots and the main roads leading into The Valley.
When I was active in this respect, I was very mindful of the cars
coming into The Valley at 3 a.m. A quick radio check will tell the
officer if it is Valley resident returning from a late night out. But
if the vehicle does not seem to appropriately be in The Valley at that
time of night, then further investigation could be done.
I think that just the idea that someone is out and about during those
hours is a deterrent. I don't think it is necessary to have anyone out
before 10 p.m. or after 6 a.m. because there are enough Valley citizens
who are out at that time that there is less likely to be a problem.
I do not advocate a lone officer trying to apprehend someone breaking
into a house or business on his/her own. In the event an officer is
patrolling The Valley at 3 a.m. and the call comes in that a silent
alarm has been activated at a particular location, then additional
resources must be utilized. It could be other officers from the
Sheriff's Department or members of the Vermont State Police. That one
officer will be in a position to observe activity and determine what
level of response is needed.
Thank you for your time and if I can be of assistance, please let me know.
Reginald B. Bragg
Chief motor vehicle inspector (ret.)
