A year of transition.

 The downtown area is taking shape with the introduction of the new roundabout and parking garage.  This fall, 200 college students from the University of Vermont and Champlain College moved into Spinner place and the new River Walk opened allowing access to the Winooski River .

 Part of the re-development plan provided for the addition of a new police officer position to the department.  We anticipate adding and additional position within the next two years as the downtown continues to grow.

 On July 1, 2006 Officer Nathaniel “Skip” Gould retired after more than 20 years with the Winooski Police Department.  Skip started his policing career in 1971 with the City of Burlington , dedicating over 35 years of his life to policing.  Skip will be missed and we all wish him a wonderful retirement.

Two new officers have been hired this year to fill the open vacancies.  Benjamin Adams and James Charkalis were hired and attended basic training at the Vermont Police Academy , graduating on November 17^th. 

 In addition to Officer Adams and Charkalis, the department was fortunate to attract and hire a very experienced officer from Wisconsin to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of an officer.  Scott McGivern was hired after spending 20 years with Sheriff’s Office, the last 6 years has their evidence technician and crime scene investigator.

The Winooski Community Justice Center ; under the direction of Janelle Gilbert-Fuller , continues to promote the principals of balanced and restorative justice within the City.  The Center, which is a function of the police department, expanded services to include Offender Reentry.  In designing an offender reentry program our goal is to have the Winooski Community Justice Center coordinate the provision of a wide range of opportunities for offenders to return to the community.   Our goal to the community is to provide accountability of program participants.  Our participants are accountable for their actions, are monitored and provided with supportive services to reduce their recidivism and become productive and responsible members of society. 

Funding for the Winooski Community Justice Center is provided through several sources.  The Vermont Agency of Human Service (Corrections) provides direct funding for the restorative justice initiatives and the Victim Advocate is funded by a Federal Grant administered by the Department of Justice. 

 The men and women of the Winooski Police Department continue to do their best to provide quality policing services to our community.  We assigned an officer full-time to investigate illicit drug activity and an officer to youth services.  By addressing the demand and the supply, we hope to decrease the amount of drug related criminal activity in the area.

Policing a community is challenging and complex.  The members of the police department are well trained and dedicated to the task at hand.  Please visit us at our web site, www.winooskipolice.com, for updated information and take advantage of our “feed-back” page to comment on our services.

 (Steve McQueen, Chief of Police)