Ed. NOte: This story actually was written before Monday's high-speed chase and arrest of North Walpole and Langdon men on multiple charges and last night's armed robbery in North Walpole. So you can add two more serious arrests to the numbers at the end of the story and maybe another one if last night's robber is found. Watch tomorrow's Eagle Times Weekend Edition for an update on the developing story. CCB 2-24-10 Walpole Seeks Additional Police Officer 2009 Crime Statistics Released By Chuck Bingaman If the Walpole Police get their way, the federal government comes through with a $215,000 grant and the citizens of the town approve it at their March 13 town meeting, the town will get an additional, full-time police officer. And, he or she will not cost the town a cent for salary or benefits for the first three years under terms of the COPS Hiring Program funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2010 as long as the Walpole agrees to pay for the officer during at least the fourth year. “It’s been nine years since we added any personnel,” according to Chief David Hewes, “and we just can’t keep up with the number of calls we have. We’ve needed another full-time officer for years!” “The New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council recommends one full-time officer for every 800 residents, and were closing in on 4,000 residents now,” added Lt. Michael Paquette. “So we clearly need 4 or more officers, at least one more than the three we now have!” New Officer Grant Funding Walpole Police actually applied for the COPS grant last year and were put on a “pending” list waiting on the new federal budget to appropriate the funds. The department expects to learn in the next several weeks whether the town has been awarded the funds. While the Selectmen have voted 2-1 to accept the federal funding, should it be released, the town voters would still need to vote to accept it. That is why it is on the town meeting warrant even though actual receipt of the funds is not yet certain. The amount on the warrant is $70,842--$35,000 for salary and $35,842 for benefits—to cover the first year, all to be supplied by federal dollars. The terms of the potential grant provide that the town would need to vote for the funds annually for three years, hence the $215,000 total to fund the new officer, and the town would need to pay for the fourth year of the officer’s employment out of town funds. After that the town could decide whether to retain the fourth officer. 2009 Police Activity In 2009 Walpole police recorded 151 criminal incidents, made 138 arrests, conducted 887 traffic stops, worked 66 accidents, conducted 982 field interviews and made 25 driving while intoxicated arrests. Compared to 2008 figures, larceny was up 117%, property destruction/vandalism rose 107%, drug/narcotic violations rose 122%, and DWI arrests rose 54%. Bringing the crime figures up to date, Chief Hewes said last week that 2010 has begun with even higher activity rates with 25 criminal arrests through the second week of February. “Last year we had 42 felony arrests in Walpole, and this year we’ve already had 8 in the first six weeks of the year!” according to Hewes. And, he adds, “that doesn’t include arrests made by State Police in Walpole or by the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Department.” One bright spot in the DWI picture, reports Hewes, is that it is nearly all adults in the 21-40 age range--with a few senior citizens--and his officers are seeing very little underage drinking. Dwindling Street Patrols The added troubling aspect of the rising number of crimes and arrests is the shrinking amount of time it leaves for the department’s three full-time officers to patrol the town looking for offenders or showing potential offenders that they are being vigilant. “If they see us out patrolling, they’re less apt to do criminal sorts of things,” says Hewes. “But people haven’t seen us out patrolling for nearly a year and they’re not going to see us as long as all of these criminal cases keep coming in. We enjoy being out and being seen, but it’s just not in the cards when a growing number of crimes have to be solved, criminals arrested and court hearings attended. If we can get this new officer, we may be able to get back on the streets more.” --30--