Census Workers Are In Town

Between now and July, United States Census employees will be in Newtown visiting every home in order to conduct the 2010 Decennial Census.

Citizens of Newtown may be approached by a census taker who will be wearing an official identification card. They will also carry handheld computers as part of their official functions. The computers will in part capture physical addresses and their GPS coordinates.

The census is a count of everyone living in the United States, done every ten years. The next Census will be done in 2010; the current work being done by US Census works is to establish residences and their locations.

It is mandated by the US Constitution, and participation is required by law.

It takes less than ten minutes to complete, and federal law protects the personal information shared during the census.

Census data is used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about which community services to provide, and to distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local, state, and tribal governments each year.

If a resident has any concern about the identity of a census taker, Police Chief Michael Kehoe reminds residents that they can call the police department at 426-5841. All reports regarding the identity of census takers will be investigated by the police.