Letter to the Editor: Additional Law Enforcement Needed in Durham

Note: This column originally appeared in the Feb. 22 edition of the Town Times

In virtually every column I have written, I have called for limited government, decreased spending, and more personal responsibility.  I have maintained that government should do the things it was intended to do and do them well, while leaving most everything else to the private sector.  I believe that education, infrastructure, and public safety are where the vast majority of resources at the local level of government should be spent.  Accordingly, since 2007 I have continually pushed to improve local law enforcement in Durham, one of the main pillars of public safety.  Unfortunately, I have been met with much resistance along the way.  In fact, Durham’s Public Safety Committee, the volunteer committee chaired by the very capable and extremely experienced Frank DeFelice, which was vital in gathering law enforcement statistics and conducting an annual review of the Resident Trooper Program, was absurdly dissolved against the wishes of many of the committee members.

I believe that if you are an average individual residing in Durham your most important asset (your family) and your largest monetary investment (your home) are not properly protected.  The numbers don’t lie.  An examination of the communities that border Durham show we are clearly at the far end of the spectrum in terms of police presence per resident.  Middletown (454 residents/1 officer) and Wallingford (554 residents/1 officer) have the most police presence followed by Guilford (589 residents/1 officer), North Branford (655 residents/1 officer) and Madison (677 residents/1 officer).  The aforementioned municipalities are all much larger and two of them have an increased summertime population.  It is therefore understandable that Durham is not close to having the same level of police presence.  I will, however, argue that our close proximity to these larger communities should be taken into consideration when determining the level of police protection we have.  The other three communities that border Durham are much more similar to us in scope, however, they all have significantly more police presence.  Middlefield (1,475 residents/1 officer), Haddam (4,026 residents/1 officer), and Killingworth (6,671/1 officer) all have a rather significant greater police presence than that of Durham which is currently at 7,409 residents/1 officer.   

Maybe more important than police presence, however, is the crime rate.  I will be the first to admit that crime reporting is not an exact science.  Some municipalities might report crime differently, code investigations in a various manner, or emphasize one type of policing over another.  That being said, an examination of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC) town profiles show the crime rate per 100,000 residents in Durham to be at 44 in 2009, the last available reporting year.  In North Branford, however, the same statistic shows that their crime rate per 100,000 residents is only 35.  In Madison, the number is 33, and in Haddam only 14.  (Middletown-132, Guilford-90, Wallingford-49, Middlefield and Killingworth-no report).  Although some would like to think that crime does not exist in our community, the fact of the matter is that it does.  We unfortunately have drugs in our town, houses have been broken into, traffic issues occur, and domestic incidents transpire. 

Of course there are always budgetary constraints when adding personnel to town government.  Durham joined the Connecticut Resident State Trooper Program in 1998 and we have been very fortunate to have only one trooper this entire time.  Trooper Peter DiGioia has been the town’s resident trooper for the past 15 years and has established positive relationships with many of the town’s residents.  However, the state has significantly increased the cost of the resident trooper program over the past few years and has even eliminated the 30% reimbursement to the towns.  The cost of participating in the trooper program, which was under $70,000 just a few years ago has swelled to over $115,000 this past year.  Additionally, many towns have not been as fortunate with keeping one trooper in town for such an extended period of time (retirements, promotions, transfers, etc.) so he or she can build a positive rapport with its citizens.  In fact, the town of Stafford once had a three year stretch where six different resident troopers rotated through the town.  In 2009, the town of Kent decided to withdraw from the resident trooper program over its high cost.  Even as recent as last year, the town of Montville had a review conducted of its public safety agencies in town by an out of state independent firm and the findings emphasized that they should no longer partake in the resident trooper program.

Other, more cost effective policing models, are available.  For instance a local police officer whose first responsibility would be to the Town of Durham and not the State of Connecticut would be approximately $83,000/per year (salary and benefits), a savings of approximately $32,000/year to the taxpayers.  The town would have much more control over their own employee and we could be guaranteed coverage at times when it is most needed (weekends, evenings).  The town could also determine its own hiring standards such as college education, military and/or experience.  Although this would ultimately save the taxpayer’s money long term and in our operating budget, the drawback is the capital expense needed to start this endeavor. 

Finally, there are other solutions that are available.  A hybrid approach is a common one that some municipalities have had much success with.  For instance the town of Deep River has one Resident State Trooper and three local police officers.  The town of Lebanon has perhaps one of the most cost effective models of policing with one Resident Trooper and three fully sworn, fully trained part-time police officers.  Models similar to this allow the residents to have additional coverage when needed (weekends, storms, etc.) while at the same time eliminating the need for costly personnel items (medical benefits, pensions, etc.).

I have personally always advocated for a hybrid approach with the town of Middlefield, which we already share so much in common with.  Middlefield’s yearly operating expenses would go down dramatically and Durham’s start-up capital expenses would be decreased dramatically.  With so much regionalization already between these two towns, this partnership would seem to make logical sense.  In fact just this legislative session, Rep. Miner (Litchfield) has introduced HB 5751 which would allow towns to share a Resident State Trooper.

Regardless of the approach Durham takes in the future to provide law enforcement for its residents, it is important to remember that the Connecticut State Police are always available for major investigations.  When these major incidents occur, no town is left to fend for themselves, regardless of the type of police coverage that may exist in that town.  For instance, when the horrific incident happened in Cheshire in 2007, it was the State Police who professionally handled the investigation.

One thing, however, is clear.  Some form of additional law enforcement is needed---and not to pester motorists and give rolling stop sign tickets as some think will happen---but instead to become an integral part of this community, to be proactive with our youth, to become partners with our residents, to provide quick response to emergencies, to conduct thorough investigations, and to make our community a safer place to live, work and play.  Let’s be proactive in this regard and not reactive.  Let’s start planning for the future.  As always, I can be reached at JSzewczyk@townofdurhamct.org or 860 349 0003.

Municipality

Officers

Population

Residents Per Officer

Sq. miles

crime rate per 100,000 residents (2009)

Middletown

105

47648

454 to 1

41

132

Wallingford

76

45135

554 to 1

39

49

Guilford

38

22375

589 to 1

47

90

Madison

27

18269

677 to 1

36

33

North Branford

22

14407

655 to 1

25

35

Middlefield

3

4425

1475 to 1

13

Not Reported

Haddam

2

8051

4026 to 1

44

14

Killingworth

1

6671

6671 to 1

35

Not Reported

Durham

1

7409

7409 to 1

24

44