City of Montpelier, Vermont

Montpelier 2011 / Annual Report / 25City Department ReportsPublic Safety & ProtectionProgramPolice DepartmentThe Montpelier Police Department is comprised of 17 fulltimesworn officers, 6 full-time emergency service dispatchers,one new half-time dispatcher, and one administrative assistant.The personnel break-down consists of the chief, 4 Sergeants(one per shift, with one swing shift supervisor), 1 Detective,1 School Resource Officer, and ten patrol personnel (3 ofwhom are Corporals). The department experienced severalresignations of police officers in 2010. As a result of thisturnover, one of the three vacancies was filled by our newestofficer, Jacqueline Adams, who graduated from the VermontPolice Academy in December of 2010. The other two positionswill be filled by two candidates who will be formally hired inlate January (2011); they will start basic training at the VPAin early February. These two recruits will graduate from theVPA in late spring and after their field training period they willbe on the streets in July 2011. Unless the department is able tohire a full-time certified officer, it takes about one year for thedepartment to have that position filled with an officer on theroad. Since the department was down several officers duringthe late summer months and fall of 2010, the departmenthad to suspend temporarily our highly successful MountainBike Patrol as well as defer other effective proactive policinginitiatives.Regardless of rank or assignment, all sworn personnel receiveannual core training in the following subject areas; legal, tactical,policy, crisis intervention, and first aid. Modern policing ismore complex than ever in today’s society due to ever changingcrime trends, man-made and natural disasters, mandatedtraining requirements, legal changes, and local demands. It iscritical for our officers to stay current and be prepared to meetthese challenges.The role of the Montpelier Police Department is quitediversified. Our duties include:* Control and Reduction of Crime* Movement and Control of Traffic* Maintenance of Public Order* Provision of Public Service* Administration, Support* Crisis Response and Crisis ManagementIn addition to the sworn officers, the department also runs a 24hr Dispatch/Communications center that provides contractualfire/EMS dispatching to 16 other towns outside of Montpelier.MPD Dispatch also provides dispatch and operational supportfor the Capital Police at the State House through a contractualmemorandum of understanding. Both contracts for FY 2011represent $153,293 in revenue to the City. MPD EmergencyService dispatchers handled over 21,000 calls in 2010.One of the two 2009 ARRA federal grants, the JusticeAssistance Grant ( JAG) was closed out at the end of 2010.The other grant is the Community Oriented Policing Services(COPS) grant, which has been covering the base salary andbenefits of one of our seventeen authorized positions, is justover one year old. This grant will continue to cover the salaryand benefits for that position for the next two years. Thefourth year of the grant position must be covered by municipalfunding.The department continues to maintain strong workingrelationships with other agencies, including the VermontGovernor’s Highway Safety Program, the Bureau of AlcoholTobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration,Vermont State Police, and the Vermont Drug Task Force.Working with these organizations, the surrounding WashingtonCounty law enforcement agencies, and other health and socialservices, the department is able to provide a full-spectrumof public safety support that is in-line with our communitypolicing philosophy.In addition to our crime prevention/intervention and ordermaintenance responsibilities, the department is also involvedwith the mitigation, planned response, and recovery ofdestructive events such as flooding. Working closely withthe Montpelier Fire Department, other city services andVermont Emergency Management, our joint team was able tocoordinate assets and prepare for a neighborhood evacuationwhen the Winooski River went over its banks last winter. TheCommunity Room of the police station serves as the city’sEmergency Operations Center.The department also handles an average of 30 parade permitseach year. Some of these events require extensive manpowerallocations and coordination, while others may only need minorassistance from on duty personnel. Large scale events such asthe July 3rd celebration and the Governor’s Corporate Cuprequire substantial pre-planning and nearly 100% participationof department personnel, including parking enforcement. Aswith a major crisis response such as a severe weather event,these special activities require us to use the Incident CommandSystem in order to manage these events safely and efficiently.All of our crime data reporting is submitted to the VermontCrime Information Center (VCIC), who then submits theState data to the FBI. The reporting system used is calledNIBRS (National Information Based Reporting System).This is a standardized reporting system that breaks downtypes of crime into A and B offenses. NIBRS data is availableto the public by logging onto the following web address: