West Stockbridge — With the town’s police force expanding under the department’s new Police Chief Nicole Miller, the action has seemingly resulted in a corresponding increase in arrests and calls responded to by officers.
During the November 10 Select Board meeting, Miller cited a 13 percent uptick in arrests, year over year, with 41 total arrests for all of 2024 compared to 47 arrests in 2025 as of the session date. Additionally, the total number of calls serviced by the department is up 26 percent, year over year, with 3,634 calls cited for the full 12-month period in 2024 compared with 4,747 calls as of mid-November 2025.
Miller told the dais that she recently interviewed another officer candidate, with that hiring potentially constituting a full department.
Upon being questioned by Select Board member Kathleen Keresey whether the uptick in arrests and calls was due to an increase in the town’s police force by having more officers dedicated to the local beat, Miller agreed.
“We are here 24/7, 365,” Miller responded.
She pointed out that, interestingly, in 2025, officers made the most arrests on Tuesdays, with Sundays seeing the least number of arrests. However, Miller could not provide any reason for the statistic.
A new overnight officer was added at the end of September and, currently, the police force counts five full-time officers and three part-time officers. Miller stated the department’s goal is to have two cruisers on a particular shift, using the part-time officers to staff the second cruiser.
“It’s just a good thing to put into perspective because our police department budget does go up,” Keresey said.
According to Miller in an email to The Berkshire Edge, motor vehicle stops “represent a major component of our activity,” with 585 stops reported so far in 2025 as “the department works proactively to address motor vehicle speeding complaints and improve roadway safety throughout town.”
Additionally, the department has seen a 21 percent increase in medical responses as well as a substantial jump of 48 percent, year over year, in alarm activations. There have been 27 motor vehicle accidents within West Stockbridge borders so far this year.
