Northeast Kingdom- One of the biggest affects of the current economic state is a lack of police presence, and the Lyndonville Police Department (LPD) is feeling the full effects.
Police Chief Jack Harris runs a department of three full time officers, and says it’s not enough law enforcement to keep up with the calls. “The call load is just unbelievable for us, each year we get more and more calls, so we are more of a reactive department now, instead of a proactive,” Harris says.
According to the LPD, in the United States, the national average is one police officer for every 1,000-1,500 people. The LPD has only three officers that serve Lyndon, Lyndon center, and Lyndonville, which has a total population of around 6,000 people. When Lyndon State College is in session, bump that number up to 7,500 people. This means that the town would need three to five additional officers to fill the void.
Gradually, however, Lyndonville is improving. Recently, the town received a federal grant, which allowed them to hire an additional officer. But despite that grant, the LPD is having a tough time just getting qualified candidates, most of which is because they are one of the lowest paid police departments in the state. “As an officer I could see and I support them in wanting to take care of themselves and their families. If that means moving on to a better paying department then that’s what they need to do,” Harris says.
New Hampshire is dealing with similar issues as Vermont, but Littleton Police Chief Paul Smith says it’s not the low wage that deters candidates from applying, he says the department has standards that are very high for a job that doesn’t pay a lot. “We require someone with a criminal justice degree, or prior military experience, or prior law enforcement,” according to Smith. “Because we have the high standards such as polygraphs, psychological backgrounds, extensive records, and reference checks, as well as the physical fitness standards, it makes people apprehensive to apply,” he states.
Other Police Departments, such as Bradford, are doing better, but they would be understaffed without the presence of the state police. “We would be completely understaffed if we did not have them, we would need to hire an additional two full time officers,” Bradford Police Chief Jeff Stiegler says.
Despite the lack of police presence, Harris doesn’t see any relief in the near future, stating, “Unfortunately with the way the economy is going, budget wise, I don’t see an increase in man power in this town anytime soon.”
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