Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger says city paving projects may be impacted by rising material costs, and also that it will take years to hire more police officers even after City Council recently raised the staffing cap to 87.
Acting Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad went on the radio last week to give an assessment of his department’s operations, and to talk about the continued challenges in running an understaffed department.
In a December talk session with three local high school students, Tyeastia Green, Burlington’s director of racial equity, inclusion and belonging, shared her views on reparations, racism and “changing the rules” in Burlington — and what it’s like to live in “the second whitest place in America.”
Acting Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad on Tuesday defended his department from yet another assertion that his officers use racial bias for their traffic ticketing duties.
According to data shared by the Burlington Police Department, the latest gun-shooting incident Saturday was the the 11th this year — and more than five times the yearly average.
A vandalism crime spree in Burlington has exposed frustrations by both city police and a state’s attorney that the status quo for dealing with mental health-related calls is not ideal for public safety or for helping to change the perpetrators’ behaviors.
Burlington residents in Tuesday’s city council special election chose Progressive Joe Magee, a candidate who has called for abolishing the police and eliminating systemic racism from society.
I dislike seeing the military used to accomplish local and state government responsibilities. But, it is time for Burlington’s mayor to request the governor send the Vermont National Guard to Burlington and have it augment the city’s shrinking and overwhelmed police force.
With Burlington’s Ward 3 special election coming Tuesday, three candidates enter the final weekend to compete for a seat that’s been a progressive stronghold for four decades and counting.
From July of 2019 through June of 2020, there were 308 cases of assault. In just a year since the budget cuts, assault cases are up by 16 percent. Property crimes are on the rise too. And we’re seeing the number of shootings increase as well.
The Burlington City Council on Monday voted again not to hire new officers, even as the city sees consistent serious crimes committed, including at least one shootout in late July.
As the Burlington City Council Ward 3 special election contest heats up, one issue that is dominating all others is policing — or the lack of it on city streets.