History of the
Farmington
Police Department
The Farmington Police Department has a
long history of serving the people of this town. Until the early 1960's, the
position of Chief of Police was an elected office. The first Chief of Police to
be appointed in the Town of Farmington was Chief Carl Worcester. Chief Barry
Carr succeeded Chief Worcester in 1987. In 1996, Chief Scott Roberge was
promoted to the position. He began his career in Farmington as a rookie patrol
officer in 1985 under Chief Worcester and worked his way through the ranks.
BELOW ARE EXCERPTS FROM AN
INTERVIEW WITH CARL WORCESTER CONDUCTED IN 2001 AT HIS HOME ABOUT HOW POLICING HAS
CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS IN FARMINGTON.
When I took over the position
in the early 1960's, the total budget was $40,000. The department received
$40.00 a month for gas, oil and car insurance. Until 1965, the town had no
police cruisers. Officers would respond to calls by catching rides with
citizens or use their own vehicles. The town’s second police cruiser was not
even purchased until 1987. Now the department has five police cruisers.
The first Police Station in
Farmington was on the corner of Mechanic and North Main Street. After it had
moved to the front of the Town Hall where the Tax Collector previously resided.
Then the department moved to the basement of the Town Hall with jail cells and
all. More recently the Police Department was moved to where it presently is, behind
the Town Hall along Worcester Street.
In the beginning, Farmington
Police Officers covered the streets on a part time basis from 8 am until 10 pm.
They worked second jobs in the town’s factories to make ends meet. The pay was
$18.00 a month and you had to be a Farmington resident. There was no police
academy and everything you learned was from personal experience. It was a type
of hand-me-down knowledge. Officers all had mix and match weapons and gear.
There were no radios to be found. If you were in trouble on the streets, you
relied on the help of a resident. The officers of old pretty much stayed in the
downtown for their shift. Citizens would call in a complaint and it would go to
a police phone box right in the downtown at Central and North Main Streets. The
main calls for service were fights in the many "beer joints" after a
hard day in the factories.
In the many years that
Farmington has had an organized police department, there has only been one
Officer lost in the line of duty. Deputy Chief Louis Sheets was killed in the
line of duty on Route 11 during a snowstorm. He was doing business checks and
lost control of his vehicle. The cruiser ended up underneath a dump truck
traveling in the opposite direction. "A brother was lost that day",
said Chief Worcester.
Many officers have come
before the ones that serve you now, and many more will come in the years to
follow. Just remember that we are here to help the ones who cannot help them
selves. We do all that we can to see that justice is done expediently and under
the color of law. You are all members of the police force in Farmington if you
reach out and help another in need of it. Whether that be by assisting when
they need physical help, being a helpful witness or reporting a crime that is
being or has been done.
His closing remark was,
"I would love to put the uniform on one more time to help serve and
protect the great community of Farmington again."
Sadly, Chief Worcester
passed away in September 2002.
In 1987, Chief Barry Carr took over after
Chief Worcester retired. Chief
Carr came from Dover Police Department and, during his 10 years as Chief, made
tremendous strides in moving the department forward. Chief Carr, a graduate of the FBI Academy, added personnel
to the department, made significant advances in crime investigation and
reporting, reached out to the community through new programs, moved the
department to where it is currently and updated equipment.
During his tenure the department expanded
from 6 officers in 1987 to 11 officers in 1997. Chief Carr also created the first full time detective position
and implemented the department’s first computer report writing system. Further, he established one of the
State’s first DARE programs in the schools, and issued new uniforms (with
updated patches) and weapons to the officers.
Chief Carr visits periodically but currently
resides in Florida.
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