Bradford, Vt.
“I see a lot of pros and a lot of cons,” Bradford Police Chief Jeff Steigler said on Friday, responding to news that the Vermont State Police would like to explore sharing the Bradford State Police Barracks with the town’s law enforcement officers.
The biggest advantage, Steigler said, is that the barracks are far better suited to police work than the department’s current location, which consists of two cramped offices on the first floor of the Bradford Academy Municipal Offices on Main Street.
“The walls here are paper thin,” Steigler said. “You cannot have a sensitive conversation here about law enforcement work.”
Steigler said he and his staff, which consists of himself, a full-time officer and two part-time officers who work inconsistent hours, work around the problem in various ways, which sometimes involves leaving the building to have a private conversation about a sensitive subject.
By contrast, the Bradford State Police Barracks was built with police work in mind, and includes a small temporary holding cell and secure spaces for sensitive information.
But that doesn’t mean Steigler is pushing for the move.
That’s because the move would also have drawbacks, including what he described as the biggest disadvantage — that the downtown office, though not ideal, keeps him plugged in to the community, and the rest of the municipal government.
“We lost that connectivity with the people we serve and work for,” Stiegler said.
The fate of the Bradford State Police Barracks has been up in the air for several months, following a transition that saw Troop B’s Bradford leadership merged into the St. Johnsbury barracks, a 30-minute drive north on Interstate 91.
In November, the Vermont Department of Public Safety announced that state police “would like to continue ownership and occupancy” of the Bradford barracks, which currently serve as an outpost under the leadership of the St. Johnsbury, Vt., barracks.
The announcement from Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn and Michael Obuchowski, commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Building and General Services, also said that after investigating opportunities for the barracks, “including selling, leasing or gifting the property,” it would explore the option of sharing the space with Bradford police.
“The facility would have adequate room to support both departments, and we are confident that an equitable cost sharing agreement can be reached between the Town of Bradford and (the Department of) Building and General Services,” according to the announcement.
The town has designated Gary Moore, chairman of Bradford’s Public Safety Commission, to represent the town in early talks about a possible deal.
Moore said he’s scheduled to speak with state officials in about two weeks, and would have a better idea of the details of a proposal at that time. One question, he said, is which of the two entities would own the building, and which would be renting.
He said he wouldn’t form a personal opinion until he has a better understanding of those considerations.
“I don’t dare say until I look at dollars,” he said.
Moore said that, at some point, he hoped to make a recommendation to the Bradford Selectboard on a course of action.
His primary concern, he said, is encouraging the state to maintain its presence in Bradford, which he said has been helpful to both the town, and surrounding communities including Thetford, Vershire and Fairlee, that would otherwise need to go to St. Johnsbury for services that require visiting the state police.
“Right now,” Moore said, “every option is on the table.”
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.