case management at small town police departments

A small municipal police department with minimal resources (funding & manpower) could possibly retain primary investigative responsibility in most cases. However, a more pragmatic course would be to work with larger agencies (typically boasting better resources), who would have concurrent jurisdiction and possibly more specific expertise, in a cooperative investigation. The alternative would be to turn the entire case over to one of the better prepared/supported agencies with concurrent jurisdiction.

The Chief of the small municipal department would ultimately make the decision - and be subsequently held accountable.

As for the crimes...

A bombing would definitely involve the county Sheriff, the State Police, Fire Marshal, bomb squad, and a host of federal agencies. Typically, an ad hoc task force would be formed for the overall investigation.

A vehicular homicide (hit & run) would most likely involve the county Sheriff and State Police.

A robbery would most likely involve the county Sheriff.

Once a suspect has been identified and a warrant issued, the hunt may exceed the original jurisdictional boundaries. In most (extraditable) felony cases, federal agencies can be approached for specific help in apprehension.

In summary, it will all depend upon what you feel your story needs.
Best of Luck!

lindyhop said:

Hey all! I'm setting a romantic suspense novel in a fictional Vermont town with only ten paid, full-time police officers. Which I realize is kind of a lot by Vermont standards.

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Yes, ten would be a fairly large police force in Vermont. Do you have a specific town in mind as a model?

From the research I've done, I'm assuming there wouldn't be any officially designated detectives. So how would they handle cases that require investigation? Would the cases be assigned to particular officers? Who assigns the cases? The Chief of Police?

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In Vermont, as in the other New England states, the state police are involved in most criminal investigations in small towns. They probably would handle purely local cases in-house, but for burglaries, armed robberies, etc. where the perpetrator probably is from out of town the state police would be involved. Most of the small towns in Vermont use either the sheriff's department or a nearby town to provide police. There might be a string of similar cases. The chief of police probably would assign duties for any cases being handled locally.

The crimes that happen during the novel are 1) a bombing (I assume the feds get called in here, but that the local department might cooperate with their investigation), 2) a hit and run homicide that could be an accident, and 3) a robbery at a local store. I'd like for my MC, who's been on the force for 7 years, to get assigned to investigate the bombing and the hit and run. Is that realistic?

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In a small town in Vermont all of those cases would be investigated by the sheriff or by the state police.

I would hugely appreciate any insights you guys can provide! I'm a lawyer so if anyone needs any lawyer knowledge I'd be happy to help.

Thanks!

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I'm not as familiar with Vermont procedures as I am with other states, but if you want ten cops on a Vermont police department, then you should think of a larger town.

lindyhop said:

Thank you both so much for your help. I looked back through some of my research and I had planned on making my fictional town about 6,000 people. That is actually quite big by Vermont standards! (I'm a city girl, so it feels tiny to me. ) I might still scale down the number of officers to 6 or 7. That would make the ratio similar to Northfield, VT and other towns of about 5,000 to 6,000 people, as far as I can tell. Does that sound reasonable to you guys?

Really great points about the county sheriffs and the state police being involved. I like the idea of a cooperative investigation. I will do some more research and incorporate those points as best I can.

Thanks again!

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You might also consider what you want in and around the town. Brattleboro is a lot different from Northfield. Another major factor is road access. A town along Rte 91 or 89 would be different from a place that's twenty, or more, miles from an interstate highway. Many Vermont towns are winter vacation spots, and that makes them vastly different from a place that tries to survive on local industry and agriculture. The ski areas provide possibilities for plot, but they change the local culture. Being on n interstate also means a larger police force, if there is a local police force at all.

lindyhop said:

Great point! I was planning on setting my fictional town between Burlington and Montpelier, so not too far from Rte 89. It would probably attract some winter tourists, though I don't see it as a ski resort area particularly. It has some B&Bs and cute shops and such, but isn't fancy or elaborate. Artsy in a low key way, maybe.

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There are ski areas all over the mountains, and some are rather small.

I'm actually from New England but have never been to northern VT for some reason. Sounds like I should take a trip up there.

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Yes, that part of central Vermont is very nice most of the year. You could take 89 and get off at every exit, until you find the right one.

Read Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series for some decent insight. At one time, he also answered questions from writers concerning Vermont's police and criminal prosecution scene. He is/was an investigator for the Vermont medical examiner, a sheriff's deputy and a volunteer firefighter and EMS.

http://archermayor.com/

Jeff