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Windham County pilot for law-enforcement governance earns support and technical questions in committee testimony
Summary
Witnesses broadly welcomed S255 as a pilot to expand and equalize policing services, while Loyal County Sheriff raised technical concerns about tax assessments, equipment disposition, the five-year sunset and the potential precedent for other counties.
The House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee heard testimony on S255 on Thursday, a Windham County bill to establish a five-year pilot law-enforcement governance council that would allow municipalities to opt in to a county-level model for providing policing services.
Chief Evans of the Bradboro Police Department, speaking by Zoom, said he supports the bill and called it "a net positive for policing in our county," noting that only towns that opt in would bear the financial impact. Evans said the pilot could address uneven service levels across the county and recommended that "Sheriff Anderson is a perfect person to run this pilot," citing the need for a strong local leader to make the program work and to gather lessons for possible replication.
Roger Marco, Loyal County Sheriff, said he supports the idea in principle but urged careful review of several technical and legal issues. Marco, who described Loyal County’s existing three-town 24/7 patrol arrangement and regional dispatch,…
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