News, Waterford

Policing arrangement reviewed

By Dave Fidlin

CORRESPONDENT

With more than a quarter of the year underway, Town of Waterford officials recently paused and reviewed the shared services arrangement for public safety with the Village of Waterford.

At the Town Board’s most recent meeting, Town Chairman Tom Hincz and Police Chief Tom Ditscheit said the process has been going smoothly.

“I’ve received many compliments about policing in the village, for the professionalism and the lengths officers have gone to,” Hincz said. “It seems to be going well.”

As he has stated frequently in the past, Hincz said the intergovernmental arrangement could be the first step the town could take toward pooling other types of resources with its geographically smaller, yet more densely populated, namesake community.

“We have other areas we might be able to explore to help conserve and save money,” Hincz said.

Specific monetary figures from year one of the new arrangement will come to light in the months ahead as Village of Waterford officials begin digging into their municipal budget for next year and review the arrangement, which was initially met with controversy when plans came to fruition a year ago.

While pooling resources has frequently been discussed as a cost-cutting measure, another method Ditscheit put the spotlight on recently was the department’s request for grants to defray such expenses as overtime for sworn personnel.

Ditscheit said he is seeking out grants valued at $59,000 – a higher amount requested from prior years since the department has an expanded coverage area. The grants include alcohol enforcement, equipment and speed prevention.

“We don’t take any more (in grants) than we can use,” Ditscheit said.

3 Comments

  1. This is a joke right? You asked the town and they’re puffing themselves up. What did you expect them to say…we’re doing a terrible job – even though they are!

  2. This changes brought in a bunch of Barney Fife’s that are pulling over cars non-stop. Waterford has become a giant speed trap, as these one-bullet flat foots are trying to generate revenue.

  3. Moved to Waterford to get out of the City. Theres a police vehicle driving through my sub division two three times a day. I live in a great brand new subdivision in the village, now it seems like I am in a high crime area. Why??? I keep asking myself why?????