2024 Annual Report-Wintergreen Police

Wintergreen is a very safe place, but we do have crime here. In 2024 we had an increase in reckless driving (+6). The good news is in 2024 we had decreases in the areas of Domestic and Fraud.

The number of bear reports decreased to 103, down from 186 the year before. The state wildlife specialists tell us that it is difficult to point to specific reasons why we had less issues with our bears in 2024, that even the weather can impact how active the bears might be. That said, we rely on our citizens to review our bear education campaign launched in 2021.

Wintergreen Police were still busy in 2024, as the chart above shows. Assist Other Agencies decreased, Thefts remained the same. And this does not count all of the house and business checks, neighborhood patrols, and community contact Wintergreen Police officers made on a daily basis.

384 traffic stops were made, with 75 summonses issued. Motorists need to be aware of our 25MPH community speed and drive accordingly. This applies equally in Wintergreen's valley and on the mountain areas. The department is committed to enforcing the community speed limit of 25 MPH. We are looking hard at the data our new technology provides us.

There were some improvements on our website this year that make it easy for property owners to sign up for our House Watch program and easier for us to administer.

There is also a new, easy-to-use form for those wanting to look into our WTG Daily Check program that provides a “daily reassurance” to those in the community who live alone and would appreciate a friendly hello each day.











We will, as always, remain committed to the citizens we serve. Every member is striving to deliver the highest quality professional law enforcement service to the community. –Dennis Russell, Chief, Wintergreen Police Department.