Putney Road Shooting

Early this morning, there was an officer involved shooting at a hotel on Putney Road. As per statewide protocol, the Vermont State Police is investigating. Further information will be made available in the future. Questions can be directed to the Windham County State’s Attorney at 257-2860. 

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100


Ask-a-Cop: Round and Round

“It seems to me that most people dont know how to use the exit 3 traffic circle correctly. By which i mean that traffic entering the circle that will be exiting imediately stay in the right hand lane and all other traffic that wont be exiting immediately stay in the left hand lane…

This doesn’t seem to be just an out of state driver issue. I know many long time brattleboro residents who will stay in the right hand lane the full distance around the circle. My question is: Is this enforced in any way? Who is at fault if a driver in the right hand lane bypasses the immediate exit and a driver in the left hand lane exits into them causing an accident? Why is there no sign better representing how to effectively use the roundabout? It really is a systemic problem.”


Ask-a-Cop: Cellular Phone Tower Dumps

“Has the department ever requested or used tower dumps (requesting all data from a cell tower)? If so, did it require a warrant or court order?” 

The Brattleboro Police Department regularly obtains information from cellular phone companies.  This information is obtained through the use of court ordered search warrants or subpoenas, depending on the information sought.  These orders relate to specific suspects or specific phone numbers. 

If the officer has applied for it specifically, and the judge approved it, the information will include what cell towers were used by the person/number and when.  However, BPD has never requested a cell tower dump.


Press Release – 72 Green St Fire

Date of Incident: 12/18/2013
Location of Incident: 72 Green St
Nature of Call: Building fire
Time Reported: 2:21 am
Time Under Control: 5:35 am
Number of Alarms and Times Upgraded: 2nd alarm – 2:23 am, 3rd alarm – 2:34 am


Rt 9 Accidents and Delays Tuesday Afternoon

The twitter is reporting accidents along Rt 9 – a truck stuck near Sunset Lake Rd, and near Searsburg/Rt 8 there are stuck cars and trucks.

The Windham County Sheriff recommends staying in unless it is an emergency. If you do drive, go slowly and keep a safe distance between cars.


Hit and Run Fatality Friday Western Ave near Union Hill

Brattleboro Police are looking for the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian on Western Avenue near Union Street around 7:00 Friday night. The vehicle involved had left the scene before emergency crews arrived. The name of the victim has not yet been released. Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 257-7950 or the TIPSLINE at 251-8188.


Car Break in Suspects Arrested

Taken verbatim from the police report. More details are in the Reformer.

“Theft/Credit Card Fraud
November 15, 2013

Date of Incident: 11/14/13 1:30 am

Sgt. Witherbee

James Smith/ Arthur Jacobs IV 35/18

Brattleboro Police have been investigating numerous thefts from motor vehicles. The investigation led to James Eric Smith and Arthur Jacobs IV and Crystal Jobe. All three suspects were taken into custody by Brattleboro Police on 11/13/13.


West Brattleboro Association Monthly Meeting – Visit With Fire Chief

On Thursday, October 10, 6:00-7:30 pm, the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will hold its monthly meeting at The New England House, 254 Marlboro Road. The Association will finalize planning for their Columbus Day Weekend Chicken Barbecue on Saturday, October 12.

Fire Chief Mike Bucossi will be on hand to discuss plans for the West B fire station, which might mean a less expensive option of building a new building instead of adding on and renovating the existing one.


Predictive Policing – A Closer Look at Looking Closely with i2 Software

According to a recent report to the Brattleboro Selectboard, the Brattleboro Police are using i2 software to help predict and prevent crimes. While the police and the board may know what the software is capable of, the public hasn’t been given much information about how it is used, or what it is capable of doing.

The first thing to know about i2 is that it is a suite of software packages that can be tailored to specific uses in law enforcement, banking, defense, health care, insurance, and even retail. IBM sells custom packages and add-on functionality so users can purchase and use the tools most suited to their purposes. 


Ask-a-Cop: License Plate Readers

“Can the police tell us a bit more about how the new license plate reader is being used?

What data does a license plate scanner collect? How many license plate scans have been done since the Brattleboro Police purchased the scanner? How many of those were “hits” associated with crimes or wrongdoings?

Are these records stored? For how long?”

……

Our license plate reader has been installed, but is not yet being used.  There were recently some changes in the law regarding their use and BPD officers have not been trained in those changes.


Reward Offered for Vehicle Fire Information

PRESS RELEASE On July 15, 2013 at 3:16am the Brattleboro Fire and Police Departments responded to 68 Birge St for a vehicle fire. After conducting an investigation it was deemed that this fire was an act of arson.

If anyone has any information concerning this fire, you are asked to contact Detective Eric Johnson of the Brattleboro Police at (802) 257-7946 or the VT Arson Tip Hotline at 1-800-32-ARSON (800-322-7766).

A reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) involved. 


Ask-a-Cop: Decriminalization of Marijuana

“How has decriminalization of marijuana impacted the department so far? Is the law clear or confusing? Have tickets for small amounts of marijuana been given out to anyone?”

Decriminalization of marijuana has not impacted the department in a meaningful way.  Officers have been trained in the new law and the various enforcement actions involved.  There have been some minor changes in the way we store and process marijuana evidence as well.

The law is relatively complex, with different enforcement requirements based on the defendant’s age and the weight of the drugs.  There were also changes made to the law related to the forensic testing of suspected marijuana by the Vermont Forensic Laboratory.  That said, the law is not confusing.


Brattleboro Safe from Dangerous Grannies – For Now

Brattleboro police nabbed eight senior citizens last week, including one nonagenarian, charging each with a single count of disorderly conduct.

According to police, Ellen Graves, 72, of West Springfield, MA; Priscilla Lynch, 61, of Conway, MA; Linda Owen, 73, of Brattleboro; Patricia Wieland, 69, of Northampton, MA; Anneke Corbett, 70, of Florence, MA; Frances Crowe, 94, of Northampton, MA; Marcia Gagliardi, 65, of Athol, MA, and Susan Lantz, 72, of Northampton, MA, were arrested at about 7:35 am on Wednesday, June 12.