Burlington police helped de-escalate hostage situation in Milton, also solved 51-year-old cold case

The Burlington Police Department’s new monthly police chief report is out, along with multiple press releases on recent incidents, which show the force is making progress despite opposition from the “defund the police” movement.

The BPD recently assisted in a marathon tense hostage negotiation crisis in Milton and successfully resolved it without violence. It also solved a cold case a half-century old involving a murdered kindergarten teacher.  And despite being defunded by about 30 percent in 2020, the department is hiring again and has a new reporting system for use-of-force incidents.

BPD helped save the day in Milton

In cooperation with the Milton Police Department, the Burlington Police Department resolved a tense situation involving over 10 hours of negotiation, sensitive intelligence gathering and maneuvering. Officers were able to peacefully arrest the suspect, a father who did not wish to turn his 4-year-old son over to his mother who has legal custody rights.

The officers were able to use construction layouts from neighboring homes to learn more about the obstacles that they faced in the suspect’s home. Specially trained officers are adept in close combat and other strategic skills for these situations.

BPD Chief Jon Murad emphasized how grateful he is for the heroic efforts of the team.

“This work and the opportunity to take on high-stakes operations in as safe a manner as possible is the very reason many of them became cops in the first place. Our ERU is founded on de-escalation and deceleration, but also on the safe application of dynamic force. For our negotiations, the motto is ‘Talk to Me,’ and it requires an incredible amount of focus, humanity, and, most importantly, patience.”

Half-century-old cold case solved

The chief’s report explains that typical protocol for cold cases is to have one officer assigned to a case.

Rita Curran was a kindergarten teacher murdered in Burlington on July 19 or 20, 1971. While the case was investigated initially and produced much evidence and documentation, nothing led to a formal charge on a suspect. Thanks to DNA evidence from a tossed cigarette butt at the crime scene, the case has been solved.

However, the suspect himself died in the 1980s.

“We learned he died of an overdose in San Francisco in 1986, fifteen years after murdering Rita,” the police chief’s report states.

Use-of-force incidents gets a new public reporting system

After a couple of high-profile use-of-force incidents were caught on police body cam footage in 2019, there were renewed calls for reformed use-of-force policies as well as accountability. Now there is a new webpage put out by the department that will further detail statistics and other data regarding use-of-force incidents each month. The new page is linked here.

This website could in part be a response to calls for increased police activity oversight. There is currently going to be a Town Meeting Day initiative on the ballot called Item 7 which would allow for the creation of a citizen-led police oversight body with powers to administer disciplinary actions. Many large organizations and high-profile individuals have publically called for support for this initiative.

More help is on the way

The police department has been struggling to keep up with responding to all emergencies since it has been largely understaffed after being defunded by the City Council by about a third in 2020. Some more help is on the way as there was recently a swearing-in ceremony for three returning officers plus six new probation officers hired and nine other professional employees that will cover various duties related to running the department and/or assisting with calls.

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North Reports. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.

Image courtesy of Burlington Police Department