BELLOWS FALLS — At the request of the Bellows Falls Trustees, Police Chief Ronald Lake has instituted a zero-tolerance policy on the presence of “youth in the square” found loitering at any time day or night.
A curfew is also in effect from 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and after 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, on youths “who have not reached the age of 17 who are not in the company of a parent, adult or relative.”
Lake explained that defining an activity as loitering was largely a subjective call on the part of an officer, but there is an ordinance against it. Loitering is loosely defined as “anyone standing impeding the passage of pedestrians or traffic that results in public inconvenience,” Lake said.
Lake reported that no arrests had taken place as of Sept. 9; rather, officers have simply talked with the subjects of the complaints.
“We try to educate and inform. They respect that and move on. We've had no trouble with that.”
“It's largely a fear factor based on appearance,” Lake said. “We know everyone. We talk to them. We know who their parents are and where they live. Plus, for the most part, these are not youths. These are young adults who are hanging out in the square.”
When asked if there was any other place to hang out, Lake shook his head. “Sadly, no, there is not,” he said.
Closed frequency
At a recent Bellows Falls Village Trustees' meeting, Trustee Scott Falzo wondered why local citizens could no longer monitor the police channel.
Lake explained that police had had to begin using a secure channel as a result of the possible use of scanners by criminals.
Lake later explained that his officers noticed that “certain groups seemed to know where the cruisers were.” In response, Lake decided to “lift a memo and use an encrypted channel.”
“We have to try to get around and get accomplished what we set out to do, and even catch the bad guys,” Lake iterated.
“I tell everyone, if you hear or see something suspicious to you, don't hesitate to call and report it [to the police]. Your judgment is likely to be correct,” Lake advised.
He said rumors of rampant vandalism are largely unfounded, though there have been a few isolated incidents, including slashed tires and a vandalized soda machine.
“We have 24/7 coverage. We have moved from reactive law enforcement to being proactive by educating minor offenders, which has cut back on crime,” Lake said.
“If you are asked to move on, or told you can't do something, and then you make an informed decision to go ahead and do it, then you've crossed the line,” he warned.
New community watch
In the meantime, police will work with citizens to put together a community neighborhood watch, Lake said.
Officer Scott Symonds and the Bellows Falls Police Department will host an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m., Sept. 29, at the Waypoint Center in Bellows Falls, regarding a “neighborhood watch program, volunteer opportunities in police service, and the efforts of the Windham County Prevention Coalition."
“By far the largest case load we have seems to be sexual abuse cases [not vandalism],” Lake said. “It seems we have our fair share.”