WILTON – Police officers in Wilton spend the bulk of their shifts investigating crimes, catching speeders on the highway, and following up on criminal complaints. That leaves little time to address day-to-day problems that can detract from residents’ quality of life, police Chief Dennis Brown said at a community forum this week.

Violations of the town’s parking ordinance, rowdy and truant teenagers, incessant dog barking as well as public safety were on the mind of residents when they met with Brown at the first of a series of community programs planned by the Wilton Group, a partnership of businesses, community organizations, and concerned residents.

More than two dozen attended the session Monday night at the Wilton Congregational Church.

Brown introduced his officers, described the agency’s community programs and went through charts of crime statistics. And he explained how far it has come since the unflattering assessment in 2007 by the Maine Chiefs of Police. Brown was hired after the scathing report.

The Police Department’s challenge now is balancing a crime caseload that is one of the largest in Franklin County with the resources in the third smallest department that currently has two vacancies, he said.

“We can lose touch with the fact we are servants of the public. We work to fulfill the goals of the citizens of Wilton,” Brown said. “We are your police department. We work for you as long as we have the resources to do that.”

Questions from the audience were read by moderator Ron Aseltine. One asked how the elderly can better protect themselves against drug-related burglaries and home invasions.

“Wilton is seeing an increase in drug use and a lot of the break-ins we see are to steal medications. These are becoming more brazen and are occurring in daylight,” Brown said.

He said people can call the department, alert police to their concerns, and ask an officer to conduct a security survey at the house that would include suggestions on thwarting intruders.

Parking violations are a sore point, Brown agreed. But officers don’t have time to enforce the ordinance that is outdated and only has a $3 fine. Town officials plan to have an updated version ready for a town meeting vote next year.

In a PowerPoint presentation, Brown showed crime statistics for Wilton from September 2007 to the present.

There were more than 2,500 criminal investigations, including one homicide and one manslaughter, with officers spending an average of 40 hours per case. There were more than 200 vehicle accidents, including five fatalities; 1,300 traffic stops with the majority of those alcohol- or drug-related; 14 reported rapes; 202 domestic violence calls; 160 assaults; and 250 thefts.

The number of sexual assaults involving children and complaints of domestic violence are up, he said.

“Why is there such a high crime rate?” resident Paula Widmer asked.

Brown believes people are reporting incidents because they feel comfortable calling the department, knowing someone will respond. However, the case closure rate is low at 29 percent, a direct result of a lack of resources.

The exhaustive study by the Maine Chiefs of Police in 2007 found faulty investigations with a lack of victim follow-up; officers who were insufficiently trained; inadequate working conditions; a lack of proper record keeping and data management; unfavorable community relations; and low morale.

Brown went through the improvements he initiated that include community outreach programs; advanced officer training; grants to upgrade equipment and hire personnel; improved victim services and community relations; and detectives who focus on family violence and drug investigations.