NORWICH — The town has decided to wait at least six months before searching for a permanent police chief to give residents and Norwich officials time to discuss the role of policing in the community.
“The conversations are not going to get easier, they are going to get more difficult,” Norwich Selectboard Chair Roger Arnold said at a board meeting Wednesday. But, he called this moment — following former Police Chief Jen Frank’s departure — a good opportunity to think “more broadly about what public safety means.”
Instead of making a permanent hire soon, on Wednesday the board approved Town Manager Herb Durfee’s recommendation to promote current police Sgt. Simon Keeling to interim police chief for the next year. Keeling has been serving as the officer in charge since Frank left to take the police chief position in Windsor in February.
Over the next six months, town officials will host discussions and get input from the public on what policing should look like in Norwich, and on the responsibilities of the chief and the rest of the department. After the six months are up, Durfee may begin the process of hiring a new permanent chief.
The decision follows months of discussion among residents and town officials over policing in Norwich, which culminated in a nearly two-hour public discussion during the Selectboard meeting Wednesday night.
Some residents pushed to hire a permanent chief soon, citing safety concerns with a reduced police force.
“There’s an under-appreciation, I think, for what police do,” resident Stuart Richards said. “It’s a huge mistake to postpone having full coverage.”
Deborah Hannam echoed Richards, saying the police responded to her house last year when two people tried to break in and rob her in the middle of the day. They escaped before police arrived, but officers managed to get fingerprints, which Hannam said still haven’t been processed.
“Had there been a full complement of police officers on the force … maybe my case would have been investigated more thoroughly,” Hannam said, adding that there were not enough police on the force, even when Frank was at the helm. “We can’t go with 75% capacity. It’s just not safe. … I feel personally very threatened.”
But others warned against the idea, saying not all residents feel safe with a larger police force.
Alka Dev, a Norwich resident who moved to the area from New York City, said she has had more encounters with the police pulling her over while biking or driving in Norwich than she ever had while living in the city. She said the frequent police encounters have actually led to her feeling less safe.
“I would love it if all of the officers who were watching out for my safety were actually working on something as serious as the break-in we just heard about,” Dev said. “These encounters left me really shaken because I felt like in this small little town, I can’t even ride my bike in the middle of the day.”
She also pushed for more “concrete and scientific ways” of determining what kind of policing is needed in Norwich, including a public health survey.
Resident Paul Manganiello, who supported the idea of hiring an interim chief while continuing discussions, said the town should rethink the direction of the force. Police should be focused on criminal activity rather than animal control or responding to mental health calls, he said.
“I think police are being utilized in the wrong fashion,” Manganiello said “When they’re not doing something that’s in their purview, their time is being wasted and our time is being wasted.”
Arnold said Thursday that the next step is to support Durfee in the interim hiring process, and then begin planning further community discussions.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.