WILTON – The town’s police force made 11 arrests in the past five days, bringing the total for the month to 19, Chief Dennis Brown said Monday.

The monthly total is the same as that of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, he said. In comparison, Farmington’s department made 16 arrests and Jay made six during April.

Brown has previously said Wilton has the second highest rate of calls in the county, behind Farmington, but the smallest department.

Besides Brown, officer Alfred Cooper IV is also full time. He started Sunday. Three officers from other jurisdictions patrol part time.

The amount of calls is a concern, Brown said, because of the limitations on responding. He described a couple of recent calls that could have gone unanswered with only one patrol person on duty.

Last week, he said, the officer on duty responded to a domestic situation. Two Jay police officers came to his aid and two people were arrested. The Wilton officer was taking one to the Farmington jail and a Jay officer drove the other.

While enroute, a call came from a child reporting someone being assaulted and choked. The second Jay officer responded, and the attacker fled when hearing the sirens, Brown said. He was arrested Sunday by Livermore Falls police.

In another case, Brown said he was on duty Sunday and responded to a call of one male hitting another with the back side of a hot pan. Both were arrested.

At that time, another call came of a domestic situation on Weld Road on the other side of town, Brown said. There was no one in Wilton to respond so a Farmington officer helping with the assault agreed to respond, and another Wilton officer was called to make an arrest.

“It’s difficult,” Brown said, “for some to understand the time involved in making an arrest. Once the officer makes it to the detention facility in Farmington, there’s still paperwork and bail issues to deal with. It can take the officer up to an hour or more to complete the process.

“I’m not trying to persuade residents that my proposal at budget hearings for the new lieutenant position is needed,” he said, “but to give an honest and accurate account of what is happening in town and the type of issues dealt with by the department.”

The chief said Wilton officers have been following through on routine traffic stops and have made arrests for driving under the influence, license suspensions and violations of bail conditions. The 19 arrests, he said, do not include summonses issued.