WILTON — Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday to form a Public Safety Committee that supports the work the police department does but develops an understanding of what that involves.

When questions were raised about the number of officers needed and the cost of the department during the town’s annual meeting in June, the idea of forming a committee to find answers to those questions was proposed.

The idea for the committee was to be open and let everyone know what the department does so those questions can be answered, Selectman Tom Saviello said.

People question letting the county do the work but these guys do far more than the county could, he said.

“The county probably couldn’t do everything that we want,” he said.

The only reason to do this is to have it all spelled out so the board and town can understand.

“Hopefully we’ll never have this discussion at town meeting again,” Saviello said.

Seven people have already volunteered for the committee that expects to include up to 10 community members and to take its time doing the research.

Resident Tiffany Maiuri suggested including a mission statement for the committee that expresses the town’s support for the department.

An effort to win over naysayers needs an unbiased report on the department, Selectman Scott Taylor said.

While Selectman Paul Gooch supports education and the police department and is willing to serve on the committee, he realizes there may be no way to keep people from complaining about the department.

It’s the same way when the school budget comes up, he said. No matter what happens there will be people who think the police department is unjustified.

The discussion followed a quarterly report from Police Chief E. Page Reynolds who presented crime statistics for the first six months.

Wilton officers respond to an average of 17 calls each day. These come in addition to the work they may be finishing from previous calls, he said.

A total of 3,040 calls for service were received during the six months. These “range from the most mundane complaints to the most serious of investigations,” Reynolds said. The time required can mean a few minutes or take a whole 12-hour shift.

The department now includes three full-time officers, the chief and sergeant, he said. When an officer is tied up for five hours at the hospital or jail, it leaves no one patrolling the streets. He fills in with part-time officers and hopes to extend the list of reserve officers. He’s also in the process of hiring a sixth officer but the staff currently has a sense of uncertainty about the future with some looking for other employment, he said.

Police covered a total of 102 burglaries and thefts over the six months with approximately 30 of those incidents of breaking and entering. Residents have expressed fear and apprehension in light of recent burglaries in Wilton and the homicide in Farmington, he said.

Crime statistics for Wilton police from January through June include citations: 194; arrests: 112; sexual crimes: 5; calls for services: 3,040; assaults/violent crimes: 61; burglaries/thefts: 102;  cases/investigations: 301; driving under the influence: 7; court violations: 27; narcotics: 18; accidents: 24.

[email protected]