Vermont State Police celebrates 75th anniversary

 

 

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Vermont State Police celebrates 75^th anniversary

Agency created July 1, 1947, after major case galvanized state

 

WATERBURY, Vermont (Wednesday, June 29, 2022) — The Vermont State Police on Friday, July 1, will mark the 75^th anniversary of the agency’s creation, a watershed moment that arose from tragedy and laid the groundwork for a proud legacy of dedicated service across generations.

 

State leaders established the Vermont State Police on July 1, 1947, in the aftermath of the disappearance of Paula Jean Welden, an 18-year-old Bennington College student who vanished the year before. When local officials were unsuccessful in pursuing the case, they called in state police investigators from Connecticut and New York — because Vermont had no similar agency. The case, which remains unsolved, rallied Vermonters and their political leadership to finally launch the Vermont State Police after many years of hesitation and debate.

 

“Three quarters of a century removed from those formative days, the Vermont State Police stands as a leader in public safety and law enforcement, working every day to serve all the people of the Green Mountain State: residents and visitors, survivors of crime, family members, stranded motorists, lost hikers — all who reach out for our assistance,” the director of the state police, Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, wrote in a letter to the agency’s current sworn and civilian members.

 

“Our organization and our people stand on the shoulders of those who served before us and built the Vermont State Police into the premier organization it is today,” Birmingham continued. “During the past 75 years, VSP has expanded and evolved into one of the country’s most professional, progressive, and well-respected police agencies.”

 

In 1947, Vermont turned to former U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Merritt Edson as the first commissioner of the newly formed Department of Public Safety, the parent agency of the Vermont State Police. His military background led him to fashion a rank structure and model the state police’s uniforms after those of the Marines. On Day 1, the state police employed 55 troopers and seven civilians.

 

Today, the Vermont State Police employs about 290 sworn troopers and 90 civilians, who operate out of headquarters in Waterbury and 10 field stations from just south of the Canadian border to just north of the Massachusetts state line. VSP has an authorized strength of 333 troopers and currently is hiring.

 

“It is my honor to say thank you, to each and every member of the state police, sworn and civilian, for your service to Vermont,” wrote Gov. Philip B. Scott in a letter to VSP’s membership. “You come to work every day, never knowing what you might face, but always prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of others. I appreciate your willingness to place service above self with a commitment to your core values of courage, honor and integrity.”

 

The Vermont State Police is marking the momentous occasion by unveiling commemorative license plates for each cruiser and badges for state troopers. These items will be displayed throughout the 75^th anniversary year during 2022-23.

 

In his letter, Col. Birmingham wrote that VSP’s anniversary celebration arrives at the end of the “unprecedented and transformative past several years, when a global pandemic changed everything, and the country engaged in a difficult but much-needed conversation about what policing should be. I assure you, the Vermont State Police will be better and stronger for it.”

 

He added: “One thing has remained constant over these 75 years: Your work ethic is second to none, and you conduct yourselves with dignity, honor, and a sense of service.”

 

 

Media resources

• A gallery of historic photos of the Vermont State Police is available at this link.
• A comprehensive history of VSP is accessible from the independent Vermont State Police Archive Center and Museum.
• Members of the media seeking interviews about the Vermont State Police’s 75^th anniversary should email the public information officer, Adam Silverman, at adam.silverman@vermont.gov.

 

 

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Vermont Department of Public Safety announces changes to address staffing levels at Public Safety Answering Points

 

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Vermont Department of Public Safety announces changes to address staffing levels at Public Safety Answering Points

 

WATERBURY, Vermont (Wednesday, June 8, 2022) — The Vermont Department of Public Safety is working with police agencies throughout the state to address staffing needs at the two state- operated dispatch centers. These centers serve more than 100 public safety agencies as 911 Public Safety Answering Points.

 

The two centers, in Westminster and Williston, currently work 24/7/365 to answer emergency and non-emergency calls for 162 police, fire and EMS agencies statewide — from the Vermont State Police to local departments. Additionally, the centers serve as administrative switchboards for many agencies. At both locations, but especially pronounced in Westminster, there is a shortage of trained staff available to handle the current volume of calls, said Public Safety Commissioner Michael Schirling. The situation is expected to become more acute in the coming months, as call volume typically increases during the summer, and additional staff departures are expected.

 

“All sectors of the economy are being affected by recruitment, staffing and retention challenges, and public safety agencies — among the most important aspects of government service — are experiencing this challenge in critical ways,” Commissioner Schirling said. “As a result, we are taking necessary steps to preserve the core functions of our communications centers. We’re grateful to chiefs and other public safety leaders throughout Vermont for stepping up and helping us implement these important adjustments.”

 

That core function, Commissioner Schirling said, is to answer emergency calls for service, and to dispatch police, fire and EMS resources as needed. To ensure the capacity of the dispatch centers to handle this primary function, the Department of Public Safety today announced the following changes that will be implemented during the next two weeks:

 

• Reduce administrative call volume: In addition to answering emergency calls, PSAP staff currently receive non-emergency calls on administrative phone lines on behalf of many agencies. DPS has asked local departments to assist the communication centers by no longer directing their administrative phone lines to ring at the center and instead make arrangements to field the calls themselves.

 

• Hand off ongoing communications needs to responding fire and EMS agencies: For calls requiring a response from fire and EMS, once an emergency call-taker has dispatched an initial unit, further communications responsibility will be handed off to the local agency. The communication center will continue to be involved if mutual aid is requested, and additional agencies or resources are needed. This operating method has been used historically in DPS communication centers.

 

• Ask police agencies to rely on the computed-aided dispatch system for routine queries: The Valcour computer-aided-dispatch system, used by all but three police departments throughout Vermont, allows officers to enter routine queries such as records checks. DPS is asking police departments to rely on this system rather than asking a dispatcher to make these queries on the officer’s behalf. The department invested in this technology late last year to provide of just this kind of remote connectivity.

 

The public can expect that calls for first responders to come to a scene will be unaffected, but the way in which business calls are routed to local responders served by the state-run centers might be altered in the days to come — including heavier reliance on automated phone attendants for business calls.

 

Recruiting, hiring and training future PSAP staff members is a process that takes several months to ensure new dispatchers have a thorough familiarity with their systems and responsibilities.

 

“Vermonters and those interested in moving to Vermont have an unique opportunity to make an immediate, positive impact on their community: They can apply to be dispatchers,” Commissioner Schirling said. “You can help solve this challenge by coming to work in service to Vermont and your local community at one of our centers.”

 

The current starting annual salary for a full-time dispatcher with no prior training and experience is about $45,700. The state also offers generous retirement, healthcare benefits and overtime opportunities. More information on the position’s responsibilities and benefits is available on the State of Vermont Careers website at this link, or by searching “PSAP” from the main Careers website.

 

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

For interview requests, please contact VSP Public Information Officer Adam Silverman by email at adam.silverman@vermont.gov.

 

 

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