Burlington police union voices officer hiring concerns

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Rank and file police in Burlington say there is a lack of support from city leadership. The police union says the lack of political support is directly linked to the department’s struggle to recruit new officers.

The Burlington Police Officers Association is expressing concern about the public perception of law enforcement in the Queen City.

In a letter to the Burlington City Council, union officials urge city leaders to speak out. “We are losing more officers than we are gaining, and that is simply not sustainable,” said City Councilwoman Joan Shannon, D-South.

The department now operates with about two-thirds of the officers it had five years ago. The union blames this on the political climate that has existed since Progressives on the council voted to fund the force at 30 percent in 2020.

In a two-page letter to city council members, the association said they surveyed new hires at the Vermont Police Academy and 17 said they lived in Chittenden County. But when asked if they had applied to Burlington… “It was really concerning that none of them had applied. They dug a little deeper and asked them why. The answer was they didn’t feel like they were going to be supported,” Shannon said.

“…the perception of the city, the City Council, and the mayor’s office is a major deterrent to people who live in the area and want to pursue law enforcement careers to serve their local communities,” the letter states.

Since the 2020 vote the council has reversed course on staffing levels and Progressive Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney Stanak notes that the city has made significant investments in the department. “This included investing $100,000 on top of what we already spent on recruiting strategies for the police department alone. This included investing in both the police and the fire department, increasing operational budgets at a time when every other budget in the city was capped and not allowed to grow, and opening up positions to do so.” “It includes freezing,” he said.

But so far these efforts have done little to rebuild the force. There were four Burlington Police officers in the current academy class, but that number is now down to two. There was only one in the senior class.

It also emerged as Burlington voters considered a proposed charter amendment that would give the police commission the authority to investigate officer misconduct and override the chief’s findings. Chief Jon Murad expressed concerns last week that the measure would further harm morale and recruiting efforts.