{"id":2028,"date":"2021-04-11T18:45:49","date_gmt":"2021-04-11T22:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/?p=2028"},"modified":"2021-04-11T18:45:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T22:45:52","slug":"delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/11\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Delay hiring a new police chief?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/npd.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/npd.png 640w, https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/npd-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of residents are asking that the Town delay hiring a new police chief in order for the Town to revisit what residents want from their police force. Their correspondence is in the <a href=\"http:\/\/norwich.vt.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/SB-packet-04-14-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">packet for the Selectboard meeting for April 14, 2021<\/a> at pages 4-25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; wrote one resident. She notes that the last study of policing in Norwich was 21 years ago. That study is <a href=\"http:\/\/norwich.vt.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/LESCReport9262000.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One common thread in several letters is that the Town should analyze the 911 calls to determine what the Norwich police are being asked to do. Another is a public forum for the Town Manager to hear what residents want from our police department <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">before<\/span> hiring the next chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Town Manager approach<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In his monthly report to the Selectboard, Town Manager Herb Durfee outlines a different process, one in favor of prompt hiring. He proposes that the forum happen once the new Chief is on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Once a Police Chief is in place, the TM plans to have the Chief at least conduct a number of public outreach forums where additional opportunity for interface between the department and the public can occur to discuss issues of concern, improvement, status quo, etc. Delaying the hiring process, short of a qualified candidate, is not in the best interests of the Town primarily because it\u2019s important for the Police Chief to be an active participant in any community discussion and because the Chief serves shifts similar to a Patrol Officer. During the time the position remains vacant, the NPD is at 75% staffing \u2013 a staffing level that is unsustainable nor in the best interests of the community.<\/p><cite>April 14 Selectboard packet at page 52<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Observations <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Does the Selectboard want to completely rethink the role or structure of the Norwich Police Department? A new police chief should share the Board&#8217;s vision. If the Town wants to re-allocate the police budget or re-imagine public safety, that is <em>perhaps<\/em> one kind of police chief. If staffing and budget are only likely to see modest changes over the next few years, that is <em>perhaps<\/em> another kind of police chief. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know if the Town Manager and the Selectboard are on the same page regarding the direction of the Police Department. They were not <a href=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/22\/selectboard-to-discuss-body-cams-for-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on police body cameras<\/a>, with Mr. Durfee supporting their purchase and deployment. Is everything copacetic on the future of policing in Norwich?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-blue-color has-medium-gray-background-color has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size\"><strong>Contact me at norwichobserver [AT] gmail.com.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A number of residents are asking that the Town delay hiring a new police chief in order for the Town to revisit what residents want from their police force. Their correspondence is in the packet for the Selectboard meeting for April 14, 2021 at pages 4-25. &#8220;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,&#8221; wrote <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/11\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Delay hiring a new police chief?<\/span><span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-police-and-fire"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Delay hiring a new police chief? - Norwich Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/11\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Delay hiring a new police chief? - Norwich Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A number of residents are asking that the Town delay hiring a new police chief in order for the Town to revisit what residents want from their police force. Their correspondence is in the packet for the Selectboard meeting for April 14, 2021 at pages 4-25. &#8220;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,&#8221; wrote Continue reading  Delay hiring a new police chief?&rarr;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/11\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Norwich Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-11T22:45:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-11T22:45:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/norwichobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/npd.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CTK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CTK\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CTK\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c777bca932c48863421eb322d49c18d\"},\"headline\":\"Delay hiring a new police chief?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-11T22:45:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-11T22:45:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":438,\"commentCount\":5,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/npd.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Police and Fire\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norwichobserver.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/11\\\/delay-hiring-a-new-police-chief\\\/\",\"name\":\"Delay hiring a new police chief? 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