Vermont § 32 - Police officers; duties; failure to arrest violators

§ 32. Police officers; duties; failure to arrest violators

• (a) The trustees shall have power to appoint police officers not exceeding five in number,
  except on public occasions, when they may appoint such number of special police for
  that occasion as they may think necessary, by writing under their hands, who shall
  be qualified by taking the oath of office, and causing their said appointments to
  be recorded by the Clerk of said corporation; but such appointment may be revoked
  by a majority of said trustees, in their discretion, which revocation shall also be
  in writing, and be recorded by said Clerk; such police officers shall, by virtue of
  said appointment be informing officers, constables, and conservators of the peace
  within said Village, and may serve any criminal process returnable within said Village
  and they may also commit any person convicted of a violation of this charter, or any
  bylaw thereof, or of any law of the State, upon mittimus, to the house of correction;
  and they shall be proper officers in justice criminal courts held within said Village,
  with full power to empanel, draw, and summon jurors before such justice courts; and
  a justice holding a justice court shall, in his or her discretion, designate some
  one of said police officers to act as officer of such court, who shall receive the
  same fees for his or her services as constables. And such police officers, for serving
  all such criminal processes as aforesaid, shall be entitled to receive therefor the
  same fees as constables would be entitled to receive for the same services. Such police
  officers shall, upon view of any violation of this charter, or of any bylaw of said
  Village or the laws of this State, within the limits of the Village of Ludlow, arrest
  the offender forthwith, and, without warrant for that purpose, convey such offender
  before any justice of the peace to answer complaint therefor, and may make complaint,
  on oath, against such offender; and, upon the trial of such complaint, shall be a
  competent witness; provided, if any such police officer shall so arrest any offender,
  he or she may commit him or her to the Village lock-up or otherwise detain him or
  her in safe custody, not exceeding 24 hours, at the end of which he or she shall be
  discharged, unless then taken before some justice of the peace to answer to the offense
  for which he or she was arrested, provided, further, however, that, if such arrest
  shall be made between sunset of Saturday and nine o’clock of the following morning,
  such offender shall be kept in safe custody until the next following Monday morning;
  and, for such arrest, and the services connected therewith, such police officer shall
  receive the same fees as sheriffs or constables are entitled to for the same or similar
  services. Said police shall, upon such arrest, forthwith notify some justice of the
  peace, who shall have said offender brought before him or her at once unless there
  is some good reason for not doing so; and said officer shall be entitled to 10 cents
  for every hour he or she shall have had said offender in custody, and the same shall
  be taxed as costs against said offender. Said police officer shall have the same right
  to demand assistance from any person or persons that sheriffs and constables now have,
  and any person refusing to assist such police officer shall be subject to the same
  fines and penalties as now provided by law for refusing to assist a sheriff or constable
  in making an arrest. (b) If the said police officers, or any one of them, neglect or refuse to arrest any person
  guilty of violating any provisions of this charter, or of the bylaws of said Village
  relating to gaming, public or private nuisances, immoderate riding or driving in the
  streets, cruelty to animals, playing of ball, firing of rockets, squibs, firecrackers,
  or disturbing the peace in other ways, shall be fined not less than five dollars or
  more than $20.