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Police report rise in vehicle break‑ins; town moves to stripe West Main no‑parking zone
Summary
Richmond police reported an uptick in opportunistic vehicle break‑ins and thefts; the Select Board heard enforcement and engineering guidance on a no‑parking zone on West Main and agreed to start with striping under state permit requirements.
Police and town staff briefed the Select Board on a recent rise in vehicle break‑ins and thefts and on next steps for addressing a longtime parking problem on West Main Street.
Richmond Chief Cambridge told the board there has been an increase in car break‑ins and car thefts across Richmond and neighboring Hinesburg, with some incidents linked to drug‑related opportunistic thefts. "Most of what's happening is these are crimes of opportunity and it's drug related…they're looking for change…if there's keys in a car they're going to take the car," the chief said.
The chief said officers arrested a suspect connected to an RV theft and recovered a stolen car taken in Richmond. He urged residents to lock vehicles, remove valuables and not leave keys in cars, and said residents with questions may contact the police department directly.
On parking enforcement, staff reported VTrans indicated the town’s most viable first step is to paint compliant striping and obtain an 1111 permit; options such as yellow curb, cones or Jersey barriers were restricted unless an engineer certified they would not create an unsafe precedent or impede clear zones. Staff recommended starting with striping that meets MUTCD standards and following a warning → ticket → towing escalation for repeat parking violators. "We talked about starting with warnings and escalating to tickets and then towing if we had repeat offenders," Chief Cambridge said.
The board asked staff to proceed with the permit submittal for striping and to refine signage language; staff will check statutory text about towing under no‑parking provisions and report back.
What’s next: Staff will submit the 1111 permit application and begin striping planning; enforcement will begin with warnings and escalate for repeat offenders as allowed by state law.
