Town Should Create Committee to Study Feasibility of Independent Police Force

The Town Council should appoint a committee to further study the feasibility of an independent police department, according to a report in the Norwich Bulletin.

The recommendation was made to the council by Public Safety Commission Chairperson David Jetmore. Jetmore said two other priorities for the Town Council in terms of public safety should be “moving up police fire exam qualifications and surer emergency dispatch communications with police to aid potential crime victims.”

Patch reported on the study when it was first published in October, which said, "the vast majority (of the recommendations) need to be implemented within three to six months and are designated as being high priority, is a complete restructuring of the way the town handles public safety – from fire and police services to ambulance and dispatch." 

Here are some of the additional recommendations as reported on the Montville Patch last year:

High priority recommendations (this list is not all inclusive):

Fire

• Immediately remove firefighter personal protective equipment from living spaces. This practice is unsafe (“byproducts of fire left on gear is unhealthy to firefighters.”) and is strongly discouraged by national fire safety regulations.
• Establish monthly chief meetings immediately.
• Create two full-time ambulance companies with career firefighters within three months.
• Establish contracts with the four volunteer fire departments for fire and medical services within six months.
• Conduct an audit of technical rescue training of all firefighters within three months.

Police

• Establish a plan of action to inform the public on the importance of creating a municipal police department.
• Create a municipal police department.
• Establish and follow a chain of command.
• Increase training budget for firearms
• Work toward accreditation.
• ID training associated with an organized police department.
• Purchase a training database program to track reports.
• Develop a five-year police department capital plan and staffing plan.
• Focus on animal control including uniforms, training, pay increases, and budget line items for equipment.

Emergency Management

• Reduce fire marshal workload to fire marshal/emergency management only.
• Establish contracts with disaster-related vendors.
• Create emergency management exercise calendar.
• Expand fire website, increase public information/education.

Dispatch

• Immediately eliminate the ability of dispatchers to mute-out police radio.
• Immediately have fire dispatchers input police call information into system.
• Require a radio plan within three months.
• Consider the “current service and perception” of Montville dispatching.
• Require a five-year regional consolidation plan.
• A regional dispatch feasibility study within three months.
• Create a dispatch consolidation foundation document with regional partners within six months.
• Create an inventory of all dispatch equipment within six months.