Vermont town of Hartford gets new police chief from Maryland

HARTFORD, Vt. (AP) - The town of Hartford’s new police chief will be coming to Vermont from the state of Maryland.

Town officials say Phillip Kasten, a deputy chief from Maryland’s Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, is due to start March 1.

Hartford Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg says Kasten is forward-thinking and has experience using technology and applying the latest standards of law enforcement.

In Carroll County, population about 168,000, Kasten most recently oversaw a budget of $16 million and a staff of 250. Hartford has a population of about 10,300 and a police force of 25.

Kasten tells the Valley News (https://bit.ly/1JrxwZ5 ) that in Hartford, as in most communities, substance abuse is at the root of many crimes and he will seek to address substance abuse with a collaborative community approach.

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Information from: Lebanon Valley News, https://www.vnews.com