BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington’s mayor will now require that all police press releases be approved by her office.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak signed an executive order Wednesday increasing oversight of the department’s communications. It comes after a lawyer representing a notorious Burlington repeat offender said that statements from the police are hurting his case and asked a judge to intervene.
In the past year, Chief Jon Murad has increasingly highlighted failures of the criminal justice system in dealing with multiple repeat offenders, including Michael Reynolds, who was in court on Tuesday.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George said this week that she agreed that the trend in police press releases was inappropriate, and called on the mayor to rein in the chief.
The Burlington Police Department typically issues press releases when they deem it appropriate for the type of crime committed. They do not send information on all incidents or crimes in the city.
The mayor’s order marks a big change in city procedures. Now, in cases of emergencies, the mayor’s office will require approval up until a specific deadline, after which police would have the authority to release the information.