Rutland police report new cruiser, training role and equipment upgrades; town to form police committee

Police Chief Ed Dumas updated the select board on Sept. 23 that the department received a new cruiser and completed programming and equipment installation after initial issues. The department also has a new fingerprint machine in service.

Dumas said one of the department’s officers was asked by the state offender-registry program to present best-practice training for command-level staff across Vermont, and the department is discussing hosting training in town facilities. Dumas also reported outreach to address transient encampments at a local plaza and said crews had observed few occupied tents at a recent site visit, though the situation remains a “moving target.”

Operational readiness and safety: The department is swapping holsters and rotating issued weapons as holster shipments arrive; staff are scheduling rollouts and training as equipment is swapped. Dumas and the board agreed the department will convene a police committee meeting in October to begin budget work and review department priorities.

Why it matters: New equipment and training expand department capability, and committee scheduling will inform budget requests and capital planning. The police committee will also be an avenue to address public safety questions, patrol coverage and community concerns about transient encampments.

Next steps: The board and chief will set a police-committee meeting date in October and continue to monitor the plaza encampment and equipment rollouts.