Elect Mark Anderson Sheriff

Lead Hazards Grant Recipient

• Applied for and received a $1.1 million dollar lead hazard control capacity building grant for Windham County. Our Lead Hazards office encourages economic development in Windham County by promoting, providing, and paying for training for contractors to perform lead abatement work on properties in Windham County. The future vision of this program, through future grant funding, is to provide funding to abate/remediate/reduce lead hazards in homes in Windham County. We seek to improve housing, jobs, and affordability through this initiative.

Vermont Judiciary: Sequential Intercept Model

• We have worked with the Vermont Judiciary, on an initiative set forward by the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Supreme Court to develop the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM), which acknowledges the different levels that people come to interact with the criminal justice system in consideration of the various mental health and drug dependency issues facing the public. Through the SIM, we look to identify the various opportunities from volunteer organizations, community outreach, and various levels of medical options to intervene prior to the need for criminal justice systems. The SIM considers the very real problems of "what resources we have now" and "what can we reasonably do" with multi-disciplinary teams considering "what should we be doing for better outcomes."

Modernizing access to department services

• Established an electronic management system for all civil process served by our department
• Established an online registration system to schedule appointments for our county fingerprint center
• Established an online system to report conduct of employees
• Worked with partner organizations to electronically file criminal cases, reducing paper waste
• Worked with the State Treasurer's office and Legislative partners to improve deputy sheriffs' retirement benefits to improve recruitment and retention

Regional Animal Control Officer Program

Having heard of several communities struggles, we developed a Regional Animal Control Officer program in which a trained civilian ACO has been able to support numerous towns through animal issues. There are currently nine member towns, with desire other towns to engage the services of this program. It is our desire to expand the offerings of this program to all towns in Windham County.

• Developed a Regional Animal Control Officer program, that has grown from the four to nine towns it serves in a way that towns and taxpayers can afford

Windham County Sheriff's Advisory

The Windham County Sheriff's Advisory was created to bring community perspectives to the forefront as they intersect with the services provided by the Sheriff's Office. The Advisory is made up of ten community members who help me navigate complex issues as seen from the lens of the community. You can learn more about the advisory on the department's website.

Deployed first all-electric law enforcement vehicle in Vermont

Following a shortage in vehicle supply in 2020, I took advantage of the opportunity to pilot an all-electric vehicle in Vermont law enforcement. Through this initiative, we've learned many lessons of how Vermont law enforcement can benefit from all-electric vehicles including operations, lower overall costs, and new ways to look at problems.

You can learn more about the department's efforts here.

Gaps in rural police coverage and dispatching

Over the last four years, I have been building a coalition, gathering community and professional input to develop a Regional Policing Initiative, which is slated to go before the Vermont Legislature in 2026. This project seeks to improve access to policing services in rural communities based on decades of research and recognition of shortcomings of the structures that exist. The goal of the proposed legislation is to create a pilot project in Windham County based on existing funding to provide improved access in rural areas without police departments.

The Sheriff's Office is best poised to deliver regionalized policing and emergency dispatching services in Windham County. The expenses of operating a police department or emergency communications center often exceeds the means of the small towns and villages of Windham County. The administrative expenses duplicated across each agency in the county creates a needless expenditure of resources where proper planning could bring better, more efficient levels of services.

The Sheriff's Office currently maintains a regional dispatch center that could grow to satisfy local needs and create jobs in Windham County. I believe when a person has an emergency, whether it require emergency medicine, fire, or law enforcement, a caller shouldn't be ping-ponged between numerous dispatch centers.

Fair and Impartial Policing

In my past positions, I have worked pro-actively to develop relationships spanning cultural divides to establish an example of proper, fair, professional policing. Policing is inherently a people profession which requires a belief that everyone will get a "fair shake." A common mantra that I follow is, "You never know what someone is going through." This is true to all walks of life, whether death in a family, prior instances of unfair treatment, addiction, mental health, or simply harsh times.

Developing community trust was one of the key components of my work as a school resource officer. Through these relationships, we were able to provide services to at-risk and marginalized families too embarrassed or excluded by "the system" to offer help and need in a community care-taking role. We were able to bring justice and safety to children of abuse and neglect. Community care-taking is one of the most effective mechanisms of community policing.

Housing

The lack of housing in Windham County has been a decades old problem that has become more compounded following the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, when we talk about housing needs, people gravitate to considerations about unhoused/homeless populations. Surely, work is needed in this area, as well as in discussions around underhoused/overhoused people - which is talking about people who don't have enough rooms in there home for their family and people who have too big of a home but cannot find something smaller. I believe having safe, effective and enough housing in Windham County is one of the leading public safety problems (in addition to public health, quality of life, and other areas) to solve. Having housing available that Vermonters can afford is a large issue that numerous stakeholders need to continue work on to solve.

Opioid Crisis

The opioid epidemic is a complex and interconnected issue that weaves through the criminal justice, medical, mental health, and social fabrics of our community. As the Sheriff, I have developed organizational relationships with stakeholders to continue the efforts already underway. I've worked to educate the community to help reduce the stigma surrounding treatment.

I implemented a system that brings real-time reporting of overdoses to police, fire and EMS, so that resources could be directed to the most affected areas. Under my leadership, the Sheriff's Office continues to support the National Drug Take Back Initiative to reduce crimes motivated by addiction and reduce unwanted or unneeded medications in homes. I've advocated for greater availability of Narcan/reversal agents to schools, first responders, and community centers.

There is a chicken/egg problem regarding crime as it pertains to the substance use epidemic which warrants Legislative guidance. We cannot arrest our way out of the the problem, but the resulting effects of addiction weigh heavily on our society that introduce violence, greed, and harm to our community.

Safe educational and professional environments

Law enforcement has seen a vast shift in our role in school and organizational safety. This has created the ability to have deputies trained not only as instructors in safety and resiliency protocols sought by educational institutions, but also engage in safety analysis of facilities to make schools safe, while ensuring it remains a school and community center. We've engaged with non-profit organizations, faith groups, and schools to develop plans, share information, network, and create a general presence that incorporates a core principal of the Sheriff's Office: the community are the police, and the police are the community.

Boards & Volunteer Work

• FBI Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board (APB)
• I was appointed to serve on the Advisory Policy Board as a representative of the Northeast Working Group which reviews all working group proposals and makes recommendations to the Director the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• I serve as the local law enforcement representative for the State of Vermont on the FBI CJIS APB Northeast Working Group where I join local and state law enforcement and criminal justice professionals who review operational, policy, and technical issues related to CJIS Division programs and policies. The working groups make recommendations to the APB or one of its subcommittees.
• Rotary Gateway Foundation
• I currently serve as the President of the Brattleboro Rotary Club's Gateway Foundation. This organization provides scholarships to area high school students.
• President, July 2024 - Present
• Vermont Sheriffs' Association
• Past President June 2025 - Present
• President, April 2021 - June 2025: I served as the President representing the interests of the Vermont sheriffs. This offered the opportunity to improve access and needs at the county and state levels. During this time, I worked with the Vermont Legislature and stakeholders on a variety of policy initiatives including:
  • Creating a crime for unlawfully entering another person's vehicle (Act 129)
  • Creating a fair retirement for deputy sheriffs (Act 130)
  • Updates regarding the professional regulation of law enforcement (Act 124)
  • Improving access to law enforcement and public safety resources at court houses (Act 161)
  • Improving professionalism of the office of sheriff (Act 30)
• Second Vice President, July 2019 - April 2021
• Vermont Criminal Justice Council
• I served as Co-Vice Chair on the Vermont Criminal Justice Council (VCJC). The VCJC oversees law enforcement certifications, training, and accountability for all agencies in the State of Vermont.
• Alternative Pathways to Certification Committee, July 2025 - July Present
• Level 2 Review Committee, Chair, 2024 - 2025/li>
• Rules Committee, Acting Chair, March 2021 - Present
• Waiver Committee, March 2021 - Present
• Co-Vice Chair, March 2021 - July 2022
• Vermont Sheriffs' Appointee, July 2019 - Present
• Valcour Governance Board
• I represent the Vermont sheriffs' on the Valcour Governance Board (VGB). The VGB oversees the operation of the statewide Valcour Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System.
• Chair, July 2021 - June 2024
• Vice-Chair, June 2020 - July 2021
• Sheriffs' appointee, 2019 - Present
• Windham County Safe Place Child Advocacy Center
• I served as Treasurer of the Windham County Safe Place Child Advocacy Center (CAC). The CAC supports victims of child sex crimes and abuse providing trauma-informed interviews.
• Treasurer, July 2021 - June 2025
• Board member, June 2020 - June 2025
• INSPIRE School for Autism
• I currently serve as Treasurer of the INSPIRE School for Autism. INSPIRE is a private school that works to empower children with autism in pursuing academic and entrepreneurial skills.
• Treasurer, July 2021 - Present
• Chair, September 2019 - April 2021
• Board member, October 2017 - Present
• West River Valley Thrives
• I current serve as a board member for the West River Valley Thrives, an organization that works to build community, prevent substance abuse in young people, and foster opportunity in the West River Valley.
• Board member, September 2020 - Present

Sheriff of Windham County

Appointed by Republican Governor Phil Scott, I took lead of rural agency responsible for prisoner transports, service of civil process, rural policing, and more.

Captain & Chief Deputy

Responsible for all day-to-day operations of the Windham County Sheriff’s Office, including the planning, directing and managing of all operational activities conducted by the agency. This includes contract development, financial management and planning, recruiting, retention, training and the general management of the agency.

School Resource Officer

I was assigned to the Brattleboro Union High School as the School Resource Officer (SRO) with the purpose of developing positive interpersonal relationships with students and staff; aiding with cases having to do with truancy, neglect, and/or abuse of children; supporting the safety and administrative staff of the school regarding delinquent acts and infrastructure/population safety. Our program focused broke down numerous silos to achieve a long-term goal: enable students to access their education. Research shows the higher education a person has, the less likely they are to commit a crime.

I assisted with the school's options based ALICE resiliency training. I integrated into classroom lessons to give a legal and life perspectives regarding a variety of educational topics. I helped at-risk students access to social services and victim services. I worked with the State's Attorney, the school's Restorative Justice Program, E-Reparative Program, and Youth Services' Diversion program to ensure reasonable solutions to juvenile misconduct was prioritized over traditional criminal justice approaches.

Lieutenant - Executive Officer

I served as the Executive Officer, responsible for financial functions including contracting, procurement, billing and payroll processes. I maintained responsibilities regarding patrol, transport and dispatching operations.

Lieutenant - Division Chief

I served as the Division Chief of the Vernon Division, which was established following the closure of the Vernon (VT) Police Department in 2014. I was responsible for establishing a 24-hour primary police service to the Town of Vernon, which included supervision of staff, communicating with the Town government, providing police services and creating the infrastructure necessary for regular operations.

Corporal - Patrol Supervisor

Served as a patrol supervisor responsible for crime prevention and law enforcement, staffing, scheduling and supervision of deputies. I performed functions commensurate with the roles of a deputy sheriff, including the transportation of criminal offenders, in-custody juveniles and mental health patients for the State of Vermont. I was responsible for grant management and supervision for all grants, including state and federal grants. I served as the custodian of evidence for all evidence in relation to criminal investigations conducted by the Windham County Sheriff’s Office, including evidence from homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, frauds and drug investigations.

Deputy / Investigator

I was assigned as an investigator to the Southeastern Unit for Special Investigations. I investigated allegations of sexual assaults and severe child abuse, leading to the arrest, prosecution and adjudication of offenders. I assisted the Windham County State’s Attorney’s Office with case reviews and prepared various aspects of cases for trials and hearings. I primarily investigated sexual assault cases, child-victim homicides and physical assault cases.

Deputy Sheriff

I was responsible for general patrol, crime prevention and law enforcement. I provided transportation of criminal offenders, in-custody juveniles, and mental health patients for the State of Vermont. I instructed a high school junior/senior level law enforcement class. I was selected as member of the Southern Vermont DUI Task Force based on my aggressive DUI investigatory abilities.

Aircraft Armament Systems Technician

I am a Master Sergeant, serving as a Weapons Flight Chief, supervising airmen in maintaining readiness and mission effectiveness.

I previously served as a weapons load crew chief, supervising and working on and around explosives, to include arming and de-arming weapons systems. I performed maintenance on electronic and mechanical systems responsible for offensive and defensive weapons systems of the A-10 and F-15 aircraft, including release and suspension equipment.