Troopers move to new Berlin barracks
June 8, 2022 | By Lee Kahrs | Correspondent 
Vermont State Police Troopers have moved into their new Central Vermont barracks in Berlin located at 578 Paine Turnpike North near Exit 7 of Interstate 89. Vermont State Police photo
Vermont State troopers covering Central Vermont, including Waterbury, have moved into their new barracks in Berlin after working for more than 50 years in Middlesex.
While the new barracks is farther from Waterbury, Vermont State Police say the move will not affect the town’s current contract or the level of policing coverage it receives. Waterbury is currently in the second year of a three-year contract with the Vermont State Police. The contract provides two full-time troopers to Waterbury for coverage, except from 2-5 a.m., when coverage would come from the Middlesex barracks. That three-hour period will now be covered by troopers stationed at the new Berlin barracks.
According to Google Maps, the new barracks is 17 minutes from downtown Waterbury, roughly twice as far as the former Middesex barracks at 8 minutes. However, Vermont State Police spokesman Adam Silverman said the distance will not be a factor regarding response time.
“The difference is going to be negligible because for the most part, troopers will be out on patrol and not responding from the barracks,” Silverman said. “So, the amount of time it takes to respond to a particular location will depend on where they’re responding from, just as it did before the barracks move from Middlesex to Berlin.”
Silverman added that the two troopers assigned to Waterbury will continue to work primarily out of their cruisers, although there is still working space in both Waterbury fire stations from which the resident troopers normally work.
“These troopers are at the barracks only when absolutely necessary to perform their duties,” Silverman said.
The new $2.7 million facility at 578 Paine Turnpike North in Berlin is the first new Vermont State Police field station since Westminster opened in 2016.
“We’ve needed a new facility to serve our patrol area in Washington and Orange counties for years, and we’re excited to finally be ready to make the move from Middlesex to Berlin,” said Capt. Michael Manley, VSP’s administrative services commander. “This building will serve the public and our troopers better, with a host of necessary upgrades for the modern delivery of policing services.”
The new facility is located near Exit 7 of Interstate 89 off Vermont Route 62 and behind the Berlin Mall. The site was chosen to be centrally located to serve the 18 communities in the coverage area with easy access to I-89.
Commanded by Lt. David White, troopers at the barracks provide primary law enforcement to Cabot, Calais, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Fayston, Marshfield, Middlesex, Moretown, Plainfield, Roxbury, Waitsfield, Warren, Waterbury, Woodbury and Worcester in Washington County; and Orange, Washington and Williamstown in Orange County. Troopers also support and assist half a dozen municipal police departments in the coverage area.
Originally built as the Mid-State Library in 1968, the new barracks at 9,955 square feet is larger, better equipped, and outfitted with modern technology with spaces unavailable at the Middlesex location.
Those upgrades, Manley said, include an open-concept layout for uniformed troopers in the Field Force Division and detectives in the Criminal Division; interview rooms for speaking to victims, witnesses and suspects; secure evidence rooms, storage and sally ports, and multiple conference rooms. Berlin also features updated radio communications capabilities and fiber-optic internet connectivity.
The site is nearly double the size of the former Middlesex barracks which measured just 5,512 square feet. Originally built in 1960, the building was the Middlesex Village School until the state purchased and converted it into a state police barracks in 1971.
Troopers moved into the new barracks on June 3. A formal dedication ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 17.