Windsor County Sheriff Dept wins federal grant

By Curt Peterson

A federal Dept. of Justice grant for $1.24 million should help Windsor County sheriff Ryan Palmer in his promised efforts to improve services provided to county residents his department serves.

Senator Peter Welch made the announcement last week on social media. The grant is to fund “Upgrading and modernizing of emergency communications radio network,” and was awarded March 8 as part of the latest government spending bill.

The sheriff’s office will learn from the Dept. of Justice what the process is in order to receive the grant funds.

Palmer’s department was one of the contenders for a proposed policing contract in Hartland, which has historically relied on the Vermont State Police (VSP) for law enforcement coverage.

The VSP notified the Select Board they can no longer fulfill their service contract due to a shortage of available officers, which led to formation of a “policing committee” to decide what the town would do for enforcement going forward. The grant will help toward the efforts.