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Senate GovOps hears divided testimony on Windham County pilot to regionalize policing
Summary
Witnesses and senators at the Senate Committee on Government Operations debated S.255, a Windham County pilot to create a county-based governance council for regional policing. Supporters cited coverage and capacity gains; opponents pressed accountability and tax-transparency concerns. The committee set a follow-up for Feb. 19.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations took public testimony Feb. 11 on S.255, a bill that would authorize a pilot law-enforcement governance council in Windham County to fund and govern regional policing services.
Supporters — including town administrators and the county sheriff — said the model would stabilize funding, expand capacity and make certain services (animal control, dispatch and embedded mental-health response) easier to plan and deliver. "He is persistent, and he is out of the box thinker," said Karen Aftley, Putney town manager, describing Sheriff Anderson's work on regional pilots that began with animal control and now serve multiple towns. Erica Elder, Guilford town administrator, said a 2024 town vote to spend up to $68,000 for a part‑time contract was prompted by a local emergency in which state police response was delayed; she called the sheriff's animal-control and on‑call arrangements a…
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