Introduction
BRATTLEBORO — A downtown safety action plan will be presented to the Select Board this week.
Brattleboro Resource Assistance Team (BRAT)
One major part involves the creation of the Brattleboro Resource Assistance Team (BRAT). Police Chief Norma Hardy described the team as “uniformed, unarmed personnel that focus on expanding public safety services to the downtown area, providing for greater safety and enhanced quality of life.”
“This,” Hardy wrote in a memo, “will include such tasks as: patrolling the downtown area; providing for a visual presence and deterrence to criminal activity and chaos-creating activities; providing escorts to and from parking lots as requested; using de-escalation training to resolve minor situations and/or provide basic, on-scene mediation needs; connecting with businesses in the downtown area to keep informed of changing concerns or successes; taking reports of late-reported property crimes such as larcenies and retail thefts; taking reports of property damage only vehicle crashes; directing traffic, assisting patrol officers investigating crimes in the downtown area; issuing trespass orders; working in conjunction with other emergency response personnel and outreach teams to continue good relationships in the community.”
Training and Implementation
BRAT members will be provided a multi-part training program from BPD and the Vermont Police Academy, according to the memo.
Budget Considerations
The board will be asked Tuesday to move to formalize BRAT and hire two staff members to replace the contracted security officers downtown, add three additional cameras in the downtown area by the end of the year with the remaining money in the Community Safety Fund, and develop cost estimates for next year’s budget for several hires and projects. Budgetary items proposed include hiring three police officers, two additional resource assistance team members and an emergency services data analyst, and improving the Transportation Center to include a satellite office for the Brattleboro Police Department and BRAT.
Public Health and Safety Agenda
Town Manager John Potter said the actions could become part of the board’s “broader agenda to address public health and public safety” in Brattleboro as discussed at the last meeting. That agenda includes state legislation reform, an ordinance on “safety zones,” community expectations messaging, the second annual Community Safety Fair and Forum, collaboration with the Health Care & Rehabilitation Services police liaison and potentially Turning Point, reviewing human services funding opportunities and recommendations from the 2020 Community Safety Review process, situation table training with the Vermont Department of Public Safety and a resource mapping project from Brooks Memorial Library.
Crime Statistics
Violent crime and other crime have increased over the past several years, according to Hardy’s memo. Since January 2022, police have investigated more than 188 burglaries, 140 deaths including six homicides, 195 assaults, 160 sex crimes, 1,588 thefts and 1,957 reports of trespassing.
Need for Change
“For at least 30 years, staffing has never accounted for providing a consistent, constant presence in our downtown area,” Hardy wrote. “Clearly, this needs to change as it has become a priority for the town.”
Data Sharing Initiatives
Police also want to create a “Hotspot Evaluation and Analysis Team” (HEAT) data program in which their data will be shared with social service organizations every other week. Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Evans said the data will relate to “trends, problem locations, safety concerns and high-volume users of town services.”
“It is our hope that this data will provide organizations with more knowledge about where and when their services might be most effectively directed and promote discussion on how to best address concerns,” he wrote.
Conclusion
Local police have enhanced their data sharing “to help deploy our resources in the most effective and efficient ways possible,” according to the memo.
“As you know, we have been continuously adapting our policing strategies throughout town as crime and disorder patterns have evolved over time,” Evans wrote. “The disorder we are witnessing, especially in our downtown area, has many causes and impacts. Not all of these are criminal in nature.”
Evans said the department has tried to collaborate with social service organizations throughout the community, “with varying degrees of success.”
Other topics on Tuesday’s agenda include the fiscal year 2026 budget process, planning the annual Safety Fair and Forum, and the Esteyville Common gazebo.
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