WILTON – Police Chief Dennis Brown has resigned his position, effective March 14.
Although his last day is scheduled for March 14, Brown said today he will stay into the third week, if needed. He accepted the Director of Public Safety position at Folly Beach, S.C., which oversees the police, fire and beach patrol. Folly Beach is a small, mostly condominium community located on the Atlantic Ocean side of James Island, directly across the river from Charleston, S.C.
The major reason he is heading south is to be closer to his family, some of whom are facing serious illnesses. In the past year, he’s had to spend a few months there taking care of family members.
“We need to be there for them,” Brown said. Brown and his wife, Amanda, who works in the Education Department at Franklin Memorial Hospital, moved from the south to Vermont seven years ago for him to take a police chief job there. After three years, he accepted the police chief position in Wilton beginning January of 2007.
Brown arrived in Wilton in the midst of a police department upheaval. In early March of 2007, the Wilton Police Department’s three full-time officers were placed on an administrative suspension while an internal investigation was conducted regarding the alleged mishandling of domestic abuse and juvenile sex abuse cases. The three longtime officers resigned on March 30, 2007.
Since his start here, Brown said he has tried to restore the community’s confidence in the department’s officers through hiring, training and grant awards to help support the department’s programs and equipment needs. He is most proud he said of “helping the department reconnect with the community and strengthen relations over the last four years,” and, he added, “We now have a public safety department that has a good relationship with the community.”
Town Manager Rhonda Irish agrees. “Dennis did a lot to rebuild the Police Department, work with the younger officers and start the department’s community programs. He’s really enjoyed serving the town of Wilton.”
A few weeks ago, the six-officer department’s second in command, Lt. E. Page Reynolds resigned to return to his home state of Connecticut after a few years in Wilton. Irish said she and selectmen are discussing the next move toward hiring a new chief which will probably start with the appointment of an interim police chief.
“We will be exploring different options and go from there,” Irish said of the hiring process, and she added she expects a decision within one week.
“The folks in Wilton are fantastic people; they’re our friends and its a very positive community. We have been truly fortunate to live here,” Brown said. He added they hope to return to live in Maine sometime in the future.
Irish wished Brown well and said, “It’s a great opportunity for him and he can be closer to his family.”
Wilton selectmen, meeting Tuesday evening, accepted Brown’s letter of resignation “with regret.”
“We wish him well,” Selectman Terry Brann said, after Irish made the announcement.
I believe Peter Barton is still available, but I don’t want him to go!
Thank you, Chief Brown, for helping all of Southern Franklin County be a better place to live. Best of luck.
Thank you Chief Brown for ALL you have done for our little town of WIlton. We will miss you and wish you lots of luck with your new position.
THANKS A MILLION!!!
Marion Hutchinson
It’s time to talk to the sherriff’s department
I think this will be a good thing for the town of wilton, Brown did some good things, But he didn’t really fit in to the small town community.
Thank you Chief Brown for all you have done, you took the reins of a troubled dept and turned things around, and made a difference in a small town. You will be missed
Thank you Chief Brown for all you have done for Wilton. You have done an amazing job for our town and I hope your work will be carried forward. Your leadership, vision and integrity has set the standard. Best of luck in your new position. They are so lucky to have you!
Thanks Chief Brown. Wishing you and your family.all the best.
Thanks Chief! Great Job, I enjoyed helping in the hiring process & your support of this community. We’ll certainly miss your leadership & support.
The Sheriffs Department? Are you crazy make bigger what already doesnt work. The biggest waste of tax dollars in this county.
Good! Let’s send couple more of our officers there and whittle the force down a little. We might get better services if we didn’t have to support 5 full time and 2-3 part time policemen (and women) in Wilton. Just their benefit pkgs. alone are costing us plenty! I see new cruisers almost every year. Let’s hone it down to 2 or 3 and call the County when there’s a big run on crime here. I know more cops collect more ticket revenue but, gee whiz, I’d rather drive 35 through Dryden and not have to pay hundreds in adjusted insurance rates every time they’re sitting around waiting for an actual “bad” guy to go by.
Jim,
please tell me what evidence you have in getting a new cruiser every year? Also 2 or 3 policemen hmm… do you even know how to do math, figure that scheduel out, you can’t run a 24/7 department with 2 or 3 officers. But hey why dont you volunteer your time and go to the police academy for 18 weeks and then take all the police complaints yourself and if someone complains about the way you handle it, Well then welcome to the WORLD. Take a minute to think about it, or hell, just cut the Police department and might as well cut the fire department too, why your at that cut the road crew, when you create this tax free world, please plow my snow, protect my life, and put the fire out when my house is burning!
THIS JUST IN!!!! Rumor has it that former Lt. E. Page Reynolds is coming back…temorarily for now…..to be police chief.
I believe Jim’s suggestion to pare down the department through sherrif’s department supplementation may have been based on an assumption that a 24/7 local department is unnecessary. Do you discount that a smaller force balance of county patrols, local on-call responders, and daily shift work might be feasible? There’s also state police patrols, MDEA investigators, the border patrol, 2d amendment rights and hiding under the covers to consider if you are truly wishing to “protect your life”.
Hey Dennis we wish the best for you and your family. You have worked hard for us in Wilton :)