It is too early to determine the amount of money that was stolen, Giaccone said.
Town officials are currently conducting an "inventory and audit" to determine if any items from within the vault are missing, he said. The vault under investigation is a closet that contains the town's records, according to Giaccone.
"For lack of a better term, it's known as a vault, but it's not the traditional metal doors with a spin dial combination," he said.
Hanover Police responded to a 7:30 a.m. call from an employee at the Town Clerk's office on Friday. Town Hall was closed Friday morning while police officers investigated the scene, but re-opened Friday afternoon, Giaccone said.
Hanover Police has examined tapes from video surveillance cameras at the Town Hall for "any information" that might help determine the identity of the burglar or burglars and other information about the morning in question, Giaccone said.
Town Hall Manager Julia Griffin said in an interview with The Dartmouth on Sunday that she did not know how much progress had been made since the onset of the investigation on Friday.
"It's unlikely that a lot of progress was made this weekend," she said. "Detectives have not been on call as this is not an emergency."
Hanover Police has not yet established a timeline for the investigation, but the Town Hall plans to examine the possibility of increasing nighttime security in light of the incident, according to Griffin.
"The fact that the Town Hall is located downtown also means that there is a lot of potential for information," Griffin said. "We will continue to process information as more comes in. We may know more further into the week."
Giaccone described the robbery as "highly unusual," and added that the Hanover Police and Town Hall officials will implement "extra security" to prevent similar crimes in the future.
Although the Town Hall robbery was atypical, it may be a result of the current economic climate, Griffin said.
"The Town Clerk's office is where you find motor vehicle registration, birth certificates, marriage certificates, etcetera," she said. "There is a lot of activity in that office and a fair amount of cash flow each day. With the rough economy, people are becoming desperate."
While Hanover residents should be aware of the Town Hall burglary, it should not cause significant alarm, according to Griffin.
Although surprised by the Town Hall robbery, several residents interviewed by The Dartmouth said that it is not cause for substantial concern.
"I've heard of some small business burglaries, but nothing ever at the Town Hall," Sharon Fromm, a Hanover resident, said.
Hanover resident Sol Diamond said he was surprised by the robbery.
"It's unexpected and disappointing, but every once in awhile something happens even in Hanover," Diamond said. "It's still a safe place, it's still the same town."
Giaccone reported additional suspicious activity in the area over the weekend. The Norwich Police Department responded to a call at 11 a.m. Friday morning from a woman who had a "suspicious encounter" with an unknown male as she walked along Route 5, north of the town of Norwich, he said.
A man in a dark-colored pickup truck with Vermont license plates that begin with BLK pulled over on the side of the road near where the woman was walking, Giaccone said. The man exited the truck and approached the woman with a large stick approximately two inches in diameter and ordered the woman to enter the truck.
After the woman refused to enter the vehicle, the man re-entered the truck and drove away, according to Giaccone.
"This is not a domestic situation," he said. "This is a situation where the woman did not know who this person is."
