Voters in Vermont’s largest city have rejected a proposal for a community police oversight board that would have had the authority to discipline and remove Burlington police officers.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, vetoed a similar measure in 2020. Advocates gathered enough signatures to get the proposed charter change on Tuesday’s ballot, but it was turned down by a vote of 6,653 to 3,864, according to the city’s unofficial results.
A number of cities have community oversight boards, but not many have discipline authority.
Supporters in Burlington, including Progressive members of the City Council, said community trust in police has eroded and greater community oversight is needed to restore and maintain that trust.
But Weinberger called it a “risky experiment” that would have undermined efforts to rebuild the police department.
Topics Law Enforcement
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Company at Center of Cyclospora Outbreak Complained to White House, Source Says 
Police Am-Bush Catches 74 Drivers Using Cell Phones 
After 55 Years in Florida Insurance, Tom Lynch Reflects on Agencies, Changes Needed 
Berry Producer Driscoll’s Sued Over Alleged Greenwashing, Use of Forever Chemicals 
