Hightower’s resolution included three of the alliance’s seven suggestions. On June 12, 2020, the alliance had published a letter to the City Council on its website, demanding an apology and reparations for Burlington’s role in chattel slavery and a restructuring of public safety, including, among other steps, an immediate 30 percent reduction in the number of police officers. In 2019, a police officer was punched by a man in crisis and struck back, punching him in the face. In 2016, Burlington police officers fatally shot a man in a mental health crisis. “Namely, disproportionate use of force with people of color and generally how it operates when it comes to working with young people with disabilities.” “While Burlington PD has been an innovator in some areas, it has really dropped the ball in several others,” said Jay Diaz, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont. Beginning in 2016, searches have decreased overall, and warning rates for white and Black drivers with valid licenses have been roughly equal. The change was caused, in part, by marijuana legalization, which eliminated some stops, but also by department guidance discouraging certain discretionary stops. “There are real racial disparities in policing and even in our numbers here in Burlington,” he said.īurlington has made progress in the disparity in traffic stops in recent years. Meli hits his head on a brick wall and appears to lose consciousness.Īcting Police Chief Jon Murad agrees that the data are troubling. Body camera video shows the officer approach the suspect, a Black man named Jeremie Meli, and immediately knock him to the ground. In September 2018, a police officer responded to a report of an altercation at a bar. About 74 percent of its current force holds bachelor’s or more advanced degrees - about twice the national average, according to a 2017 study.ĭespite the department’s progressive bona fides, by 2019 it had come under increasing scrutiny from activists after a series of controversies - including use-of-force incidents involving Black men in a city that is less than 6 percent Black. Its police chiefs implemented reforms ahead of the curve, from mandating body-worn cameras to cutting ties with a federal program that gives military equipment to police departments. It has long prioritized community policing, and it has been praised for its approach to the opioid crisis. Before defunding and Covid, officers spent a little over half their time on quality-of-life issues, such as noise complaints and intoxication.īy many measures, Burlington is also home to one of the country’s most forward-thinking police departments. The overall number of incidents, meaning calls that bring police responses, has decreased every year since 2016, and the number of high-priority incidents, including violent crimes, makes up less than 10 percent of the total. Historically, the city’s property crime rate has been slightly higher than the national average, but the violent crime rate has been lower.
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