BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Burlington Police Department has rewritten its policies on discipline, internal investigations and citizen complaints. It follows voters’ rejection of a move to take oversight out of the hands of the police chief and place it with a civilian board. The new policy attempts to find a compromise.
Since 2020′s racial reckoning that included demands for the firing of some police officers, the city has wrestled with how to handle complaints about officers.
Chief Jon Murad opposed an effort to create an independent oversight panel but says he does support accountability to the public.
“Citizen oversight and the ability to hold officers accountable when there are issues with behavior is integral to having a legitimate police force,” Murad said.
The chief spearheaded rewriting and adding to the existing oversight policy. What was once a seven-page document is now 29 pages laying out what happens when a complaint is lodged against a police officer. It includes procedures that have been in practice but not in policy, such as providing access to body camera video.
“It ensures that everyone is aware of those things and can know that we’re doing everything we can to have an above-board process that is as transparent as possible within the confines of personnel rights toward privacy, but also within the need to make sure that our community knows that accountability exists,” Murad said.
The new directive creates a requirement for a semi-annual document outlining high-level complaints and how the police department handled them.
“I believe that what we’re currently doing is as thorough and transparent and comprehensive a process as you will find any police department in the country,” Murad said.
The Burlington Police Commission unanimously approved the measure which gives them access to all complaints, but no role in determining discipline. The commission can only ask the chief to reconsider discipline if they don’t agree with it.
However, some city councilors are still looking for more oversight. A charter change allowing for more independent citizen oversight of high-level issues is likely to come before the City Council next month.
“It respects the role of the commission and it reflects the desire for the commissioners to have sufficient authority. It does that to the extent to which there’s greater oversight desired by a large segment, not a majority at this point, but a large segment of the population. It provides for a process to do that,” said Gene Bergman, P-Burlington City Council.
Burlington voters defeated a measure last year that would have created an independent board devoid of law enforcement personnel that could punish officers.
The new measure is expected to be more of a compromise, but would still require a charter change to give an independent board more control over the police department.