Around New England

One Vermont Town To State Police:  Stay Away

March 8, 2019

Residents of Montgomery, Vermont (population 1,200) are used to seeing no police in their town. The town has no local police department and seldom saw state troopers until recently.

Now, selectmen in the town are asking the Vermont State Police to stop patrolling in the town, saying an excessive show of force in recent weeks is driving people away from visiting.

Businesses in the town, which is near Jay’s Peak ski resort, are hurting because of the increased police presence, as multiple drivers have gotten pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving, town officials say.

“The word is out in our area:  Don’t go to Montgomery,” states a letter from Montgomery selectmen to Vermont State Police, according to Seven Days.

The letter refers to a grudge that a Vermont state trooper may have with the owners of the biggest bar in town, without saying what it’s about, according to Seven Days.

A county prosecutor noted that town officials’ complaint is unusual:  Most people in rural towns in Vermont complain that police presence is too thin.