NORWICH — Some Norwich residents are urging the town to delay hiring a new police chief and take time to reconsider the role of policing in the community following the departure of Chief Jennifer Frank last month.
“The Town of Norwich has not engaged in a deliberate and community-led assessment of its public safety needs in over two decades,” a group of six residents and attorney Kira Kelley wrote in a proposed resolution to the Selectboard last week. “We believe that the Selectboard and Town Manager must provide a plan for community-led engagement on issues of public safety before a new Chief and Department Head is hired.”
The proposed resolution was one of 14 letters Norwich residents wrote to the board, almost all of which urged a greater discussion on the Norwich police department and more in-depth analysis on police coverage before hiring a new chief.
The letters were published ahead of a Selectboard meeting Wednesday night which will include a public comment session on the role of the police department, according to Selectboard Chair Roger Arnold.
The discussion comes a week after the deadline for candidates to apply for the chief position, and a month after Frank left to take a job as the Windsor police chief.
In a letter on the hiring process, published in the Selectboard packet, Town Manager Herb Durfee wrote that the finalists will undergo interviews and a potential question-and-answer session with the public.
He also included the answers to a survey he sent out to Norwich residents following Frank’s departure, asking for thoughts on what they would like to see from the future police chief and the police force in general.
Both the survey answers and Wednesday’s public comment session would help Durfee form interview questions for potential candidates, he wrote.
But in both the survey and the letters, residents raised concerns about how much police coverage is needed, especially in a small town.
Frank was paid $84,000 last year, and the Norwich police budget is about $597,000, which is about 14.4% of the town’s operating budget, according to Arnold.
“This is a town of under 4,000 people. We have 4 full-time and 3 part-time officers. Is the size of our department in line with other departments for like towns?” resident Vicky Bippart wrote in one letter.
Some residents, like Sharon Rascusin, brought up the impact of policing on marginalized communities and residents of color.
“Due to the resignation of the Chief, we have an opportunity to take time to rethink what Norwich really needs in view of new understandings of the impact of policing on our communities,” Rascusin wrote one letter. “Most of us are now conscious that in spite of the appearance of progressive politics in Vermont, excessive police enforcement against people of color stubbornly persists.”
Others suggested that town officials look at better ways to address mental health calls and consider putting money toward social services instead.
Resident Margery Cantor wrote that policing may not always be the “most effective solution,” and that many issues in the town might be better handled by someone with “conflict resolution/nonviolent communication/counseling skills”
“There seems an enormous amount of money spent on the police force and a minuscule amount (comparatively) on social services,” Cantor wrote.
But other residents, such as Charlotte Metcalf, worry that the discussions may lead to a reduction in the police force or in funding for police. In an interview Monday, Metcalf said Norwich still has an issue with crime including burglaries, vandalism and drug use, and that her own house has been broken into.
“To me it’s been very important to have the coverage that we do,” she said, “I wouldn’t feel safe without having that coverage.”
Resident Stuart Richards said he’s also against any actions that may lead to defunding or reducing the police budget, calling it “shortsighted.” He said the focus on hiring someone to handle social service issues shouldn’t affect police funding.
“If you want to hire people who have a different skill set, you ought to appropriate more money for that,” he said.
Wednesday’s meeting will be held virtually over Zoom and starts at 6:30 p.m.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.