Vermont cities and towns are aware they have a problem in policing that must be addressed. What the towns don’t need is to wade through hundreds of reporting pages from outside consultants.
At the Burlington Police Commission meeting Tuesday evening, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad gave an update on the department’s staff level of physically able and available officers, which is currently at a low point of 65.
Burlington’s Joint Committee on Police Transformation and Mayor Miro Weinberger issued a joint statement Thursday indicating they may recommend higher staffing levels for the city’s currently depleted police department, but the targets remain short of what the police chief recommends.
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.
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.
After midnight, 95 senators again signed on to an amendment that provided federal funds to hire 100,000 new police officers nationwide. Just Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania voted against.
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.