Windsor Police Seek to Meet Needs of Its Community

By Chris Frost
Eagle Times News Editor
WINDSOR, VT — Windsor Police Chief Jennifer Frank had some positive updates for the community at the latest Selectboard meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 7, including a recap of several of their recent programs.

“We had a couple of youth programs this summer that we spearheaded; one of those was Touch-a-Truck, a great interagency cooperation with the fire department, town, the police department, water, sewer and the highway department,” she said. “We had a hearse from our community all the way down to excavators and tow trucks flipping vehicles over. It was a great opportunity to showcase what I would call non-technical careers.”

Partnering with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, the agencies held a “Cops and Bobbers” event. Game wardens taught attendees about the rules and regulations of catch-and-release and licenses. More events are on the horizon, with programing focused on prescription medication and youth courses.

“One is for our older community, specifically around medication; how do you keep your meds safe? We’re doing that with some of our local organizations,” Frank said. “The second adult program is the Citizen’s Police Academy, which is an inside look at what law enforcement does. What happens at a motor vehicle stop and other elements.”

A babysitting certification course will be available in partnership with the Elks Lodge #1665.

“We’ve run that program before and it has some pretty significant success,” she said.

Since school just restarted, the department has also been helping with bus routes.

“It’s a unique challenge to remind folks to slow down, especially around school areas,” Frank said. “That’s where people say, ‘All you do is speed enforcement,’ and the next person says, ‘Why aren’t you looking at the speeders on my street?’ We’re in a unique spot; what can we do best to figure out the needs of our region?”

On a more serious note, Frank said the department is working with the community’s unhoused population to provide supportive services consistent with town and state regulations.

“I think that’s a very public-facing challenge that folks see,” she said. “They don’t always get to see some of the behind-the-scenes elements, and that’s tricky for us in law enforcement. How do we share the work that we are doing without disparaging individuals or maybe bringing up some of their unique challenges?”

She cited two people who encamped on private property on Main Street for 12 days.

“We counted 38 phone calls trying to come up with a solution,” she said, explaining that it became an issue of a public problem on private property. “We don’t want to live in a state where police can go in on private property and tell you what you can and can’t do on your own land.”