TROOPERS AVAILABLE FOR FAIRFAX

Vermont State Police Lt. Dan Begiebing discusses contract coverage options with chairman Jeff Blake, right, and the Fairfax Selectboard during a meeting Monday Night. Above photo scanned from the December 7, 2004 issue of the St. Albans Messenger and was taken by Isaac Olson

By ISAAC OLSON - - Messenger Correspondent

FAIRFAX—In an effort to explore other policing avenues, selectmen learned Monday the bottom line in a contract with the Vermont State Police is dollars.

“We’re not cheap,” said Lt. Dan Begiebing, commander of the St. Albans station.

Vermont State Police do not offer contractual agreements to towns for a trooper's straight time pay, Begiebing explained to the board, but towns can call for volunteer overtime hours at about $42.26 an hour. This price he said, includes an average of the lowest paid and highest paid troopers at a time-and-a-half rate and includes a cruiser and dispatch expenses.

The contract doesn't call for travel time to Fairfax, but if a trooper were to make an arrest it would include the transportation of the suspect and paperwork involved he said. The actual cost of an individual trooper's time depends on how much he or she is reguIarly paid.

As Fairfax Selectmen approach budget discussions they are investigating possible options for increasing police coverage in town. Having been in a joint contract with Georgia and the Franklin County Sheriff's Department for a number of years, recent increases in break-ins and speeding vehicles have prompted officials to search for alternatives.

Selectmen met with Georgia officials last week and expressed concerns with having 20 hours of coverage a week from the sheriff's department for about $38,000 annually. State troopers already cover Fairfax to a certain extent, but a contract would help ensure more coverage.

Selectboard Chair Jeff Blake indicated the board would be meeting with the sheriff in the upcoming weeks as it tries to find a viable solution before entering budget discussions in January.

A contract with the VSP the lieutenant said, could be tailored in any number of ways, ranging from specific events or nights to an average number of hours per week. However, he said he would like to start off small and on a trial basis in order to survey the town's needs and demand.

"If we start off small and it's a success then we can build from there," said Begiebing.

There are many variables that can affect VSP coverage in these kinds of situations, Begiebing said. For example, the hours requested, because troopers work overtime on a volunteer basis, are not always filled. They get posted as available and troopers can sign up for them on their days off or hours before and after their shifts. Given this, anything from bad weather to holidays can change the amount of coverage that rolls through town.

Another issue, Begiebing said, is the everchanging number of troopers available. With rigorous background checks, polygraph tests and training, he said, it is getting harder to find new troopers. It is a national trend, he said, as law enforcement becomes a less popular career choice among the younger generations.

"We haven't been fully staffed here since 1991," Begiebing said, noting 29 vacancies across the state. "Our department as a whole has historically carried about 10 vacancies."

There are also troopers out sick retiring or on vacation, changing the number of troopers available, he said, but, overall, he predicts a warm reception among his current staff. He said the staff is young and eager to earn some extra money.

As funding on a state level is constantly an issue, Selectman Bob Horr asked Begiebing if there was ever going to be or has been the possibility of entering straight time contracts with the Vermont State Police to help cover some overhead costs.

Begiebing said there has been a program in the past where troopers were entering contracts with communities, but it fell apart as the communities demanded troopers investigate kids loitering, missing dogs or zoning issues. These things, he said, are not something the state police typically handle. Staffing shortages, he said, also became an issue.

Selectman Ed Nuttall asked whether troopers would be pulled from Fairfax if there were any major incidences in other towns how 911 calls are prioritized, and what constituents could do to help state police crack down on the rash of daytime break-ins that have been plaguing the town.

Begiebing said troopers could be called from their patrols to assist the department depending on the situation. If there were, for example, a major accident on the interstate and a domestic abuse case at the same time, it would be easier to pull the trooper from Fairfax rather than call in another from his or her day off.

As for 911 calls, they are prioritized based on the nature of the emergency and a trooper can see hundreds of cases a year stemming from the emergency number, Begiebing said. In such cases, police may tell the caller that they will get back to them, then get caught up in other duties and not find the time to get make the call. It's under that scenario that unanswered calls have a way of building up. Residents caught up in that situation, he said, can take the initiative to follow-up with troopers and if they are not satisfied can take it to the shift supervisor.

To help troopers solve cases, Begiebing alluded to a Dec. 3 incident (see accompanying article) in which a Fairfax resident reported suspicious activity to the police and recorded vehicle information.

That resident's phone call to police led to the recovery of stolen property and provided a big break in an ongoing investigation into the daytime burglaries in Georgia and Fairfax, he said.

"Don't be afraid to call stuff in," Begiebing said.

Overall, Begiebing expressed a positive outlook on the possibility of entering a contract with the town of Fairfax.

"Let's face it, I think it would be a good thing for the troopers," he said. "As long as the people don't think we are going to come down here and solve all the problems."