NO. R-69. JOINT RESOLUTION RELATING TO JOINT RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VERMONT STATE POLICE.

( J.R.H. 50 )

Offered by: Representatives Vinton of Colchester and Edwards of Swanton.

Whereas, prior to 1947, the highway safety and criminal investigation duties of Vermont state government were scattered amongst different agencies, and

Whereas, this bureaucratic dispersion of responsibility was hampering the state's ability to adequately monitor and enforce violations of law, and

Whereas, the duty of the Department of Motor Vehicles to patrol the state's highways for motor vehicle law violations and the responsibility of the Criminal Investigation and Identification Bureau to ferret out the perpetrators of nefarious activities were closely related, and

Whereas, as Vermont entered the post World War II era, the need for a unified law enforcement service that could coordinate its activities with similarly established departments in other states became increasingly apparent, and

Whereas, pursuant to Act No. 163 of the 1947 Biennial Session, the Vermont State Police, under the initial leadership of Public Safety Commissioner Merritt Edson, came into existence on July 1 of that year, and

Whereas, the Vermont State Police was first head quartered at the Redstone building in Montpelier and the process of relocating to its present location at the Waterbury State Office Complex began in 1981, and

Whereas, there were initially 11 barracks and 55 law enforcement officers, and in 1997 there are close to 300 officers operating from the Waterbury headquarters and 12 barracks around the state, and

Whereas, since 1948, the Vermont State Police have maintained telecommunications links with similar agencies in other states, and

Whereas, during the past half century, the Vermont State Police have ensured the safety of the motoring public by effectively enforcing the state's motor vehicle laws, and

Whereas, the Vermont State Police serve as the primary vanguard against criminal activity, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

That the General Assembly congratulates the Vermont State Police, and the men and women who have proudly worn its uniform, on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, and be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Lt. Colonel John Sinclair at the Vermont State Police headquarters in Waterbury.