Thursday, July 9, 2015
Every step of the way Brandon del Pozo scored high marks for his responses. On Tuesday, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced he'd selected the New York Police Department deputy inspector as the next chief to oversee Burlington’s 100-officer police force.
What the search team and Weinberger didn’t know was that del Pozo had written a paper published in 2001 that raised the notion that racial profiling in limited circumstances might have a place in police work.
Nor does it appear that the search team asked the veteran officer, who has served in high-level posts, about his views on the NYPD's systematic profiling of Muslims and the infiltration of mosques following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
As the Burlington City Council prepares to vote Monday on del Pozo’s appointment, some are questioning whether he was fully vetted. An online petition is calling on the council to reject the appointment. If approved, del Pozo is slated to start as chief in September, replacing Michael Schirling, who retired in June.
Tags: Burlington Police Department , Brandon del Pozo , Miro Weinberger , ACLU , Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Hours before Brandon del Pozo was introduced to the media Tuesday as Burlington’s next police chief, he got a taste of how local residents might react to his appointment.
He was standing outside a house on South Union Street that he and his family hope to buy. After witnessing a woman fall, he dialed 9-1-1 and later introduced himself to one of the first responders.
“You’re the guy up from New York City,” the responder told him.
That guy from New York City is Mayor Miro Weinberger’s choice to serve as police chief of a municipality smaller than most New York City police precincts. If the Burlington City Council approves his appointment Monday, he will replace recently retired police chief Michael Schirling on Sept. 1.
Tags: Burlington , Miro Weinberger , Brandon del Pozo , Image , Web Only
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Judge William Sessions III on Monday ruled that prosecutors, in their closing argument, introduced new allegations against Edin Sakoc, 55.
"The government's new theories in closing were not included in the indictment and therefore broadened the possible bases for conviction," Sessions wrote in a 27-page ruling, later adding: "The court is convinced that the error seriously affected the fairness, integrity and public reputation of the judicial proceedings."
Sakoc had been accused of kidnapping and raping one woman and assisting a soldier who murdered two other women during the Bosnian War in 1992. Sakoc was in a military unit that battled ethnic Serbs. Sakoc is a Muslim, and the women he is accused of targeting were Serbs. He denied the rape, and said he participated in legitimate wartime actions.
His trial in U.S. District Court in Burlington focused almost exclusively on testimony in which prosecutors tried to show that Sakoc had committed those acts, then concealed them in applications to enter the U.S. and eventually become a citizen.
But in his closing argument, prosecutor Jay Bauer argued "almost as an afterthought," Sessions wrote, that Sakoc had failed to tell immigration officers that he had been part of a local militia and a controversial political organization.
Tags: Edin Sakoc , Bosnia , war crimes , Image , Web Only
Sunday, June 28, 2015
A state trooper shot Sweat, 35, around 3 p.m., the New York Times reported. The incident occurred in Constable, N.Y., 40 miles northwest of Dannemora, WCAX and other outlets said. Sweat's condition was not immediately clear.
The news comes two days after authorities shot and killed Sweat's fellow escapee, Richard Matt, in Malone, N.Y. Authorities on Sunday released the autopsy findings on Matt, which revealed he was shot three times in the head. His body also showed bug bites and blisters.
The Buffalo News reported that Matt was likely drunk and suffering from an illness at the time of his death.
The convicted killers were discovered missing from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6, triggering a manhunt that captured international attention and attracted swarms of reporters to the sleepy region.
Tags: Dannemora , David Sweat , Richard Matt , Image , Web Only
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Two brothers were found dead of suspected drug overdoses inside a Ward Street house in Burlington's Old North End this morning, and city police said reports of drug overdoses are sharply up this year.
Police and firefighters arrived at 54 Ward Street at approximately 8:55 a.m. in response to a call from family members. Dennis Thibault, 34, of Westford and Sean Thibault, 32, of Burlington were declared dead at the scene. Autopsies will be done, but preliminary indications suggest they overdosed.
In a press release, police noted "an alarming increase in the number of reported overdoses year to date." As of June 12, 30 overdoses have been reported to Burlington police. In all of 2014, 37 overdose were reported, and in 2013, 34 overdoses were reported.
Chief Mike Schirling, who pointed out that some overdoses go unreported, suggested the increased prevalence of fentanyl in heroin packages has contributed to the increase. He said toxicology reports will determine whether fentanyl was a factor in the Thibaults' deaths.
Tags: Burlington police , drug overdose , heroin , Opioid Crisis , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference featuring Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and top law enforcement officials from both states, officials revealed that inmates discussed fleeing to a camp in Vermont.
Police stressed that there has been no sighting of David Sweat and Richard Matt in Vermont, and that they are following numerous leads. On Wednesday alone, authorities said, they received 500 tips. "We have information that suggests New York was going to be hot; Vermont would be cooler and that a camp in Vermont would be better than New York," Shumlin said at a press conference in Dannemora, N.Y., near the Clinton Correctional Facility.
More than 450 law enforcement officials are hunting for Sweat, 34, and Matt, 48. The men were discovered missing during a 5:30 a.m. bed check on Saturday. Authorities say they executed an elaborate escape plan that included cutting through metal pipes and walls using power tools.
Tags: Shumlin , police , Cuomo , fugitives , escapees , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 4, 2015
Jonathan Graham, who was a corporal, said that Vermont State Police officials had threatened to fire him, and that he resigned Thursday even though he in "no way" accepted their decision.
"VSP was going to fire me for the online post [sic] that were reported to them by an activist, not a concerned citizen," he wrote on his Facebook page, later adding, "Termination is over the top and a reaction to some hyper sensitive citizens."
On Thursday, Col. Tom L'Esperance and Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn said an internal investigation into Graham's posts had determined that many of them "rose to a level of extreme concern for the Vermont State Police."
"Not only were there alleged violations of the department's social media policy, but also there were alleged violations of Vermont State Police's code of conduct," their statement continued.
On Graham's public Facebook page, he mocked expressions of homosexuality, criticized a teenager who posted negative comments on social media after Graham pulled him over, and poked fun at former Olympian Bruce Jenner, who has been undergoing gender reassignment procedures. "First step to become a woman: Drive like one," said a caption on a photo he shared of Jenner, who was recently involved in an accident.
Graham did not respond to a message seeking comment, but his daughter defended him in a letter published in the Rutland Herald, saying "forced resignation is far too harsh a punishment for my dad's actions."
Tags: Jonathan Graham , Vermont State Police , Facebook , Image , Web Only
Sunday, May 3, 2015
With funding from UVM that started in 2012, the Burlington police stepped up enforcement in certain neighborhoods. The city council got an update on the effort at its meeting on Monday.
Noise complaints were down, according to data supplied by the Burlington Police Department. From June 2012 through May 2013, police received 817 calls and issued tickets for 226 of them. From June 2013 to May 2014, they received 679 calls and issued tickets for 161 of the incidents.
Alcohol violations were up — which police attribute to their increased presence during party hours. They issued 199 violations in 2012-2013 and 304 violations in 2013-2014. And they’re on pace to give out even more this year.
Tags: Burlington Police Department , University of Vermont , code enforcement , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 20, 2015
In a letter and accompanying complaint, Charlotte attorney Brady Toensing alleged four counts of misconduct related to the nine-term Democrat's campaign fundraising and spending. The allegations range from failure to properly report campaign expenditures to improper solicitation and receipt of donations in exchange for official action.
In the letter, Toensing accused Sorrell of "long-term and chronic flouting of Vermont's campaign finance laws." Because the AG serves as the state's chief law-enforcement officer, he wrote, Sorrell has "been able to act with impunity," despite engaging in conduct that "constitutes clear violations of Vermont law."
He concluded: "Appointment of an independent counsel is necessary to restore and maintain the integrity of your office."
Sorrell, who could not immediately be reached for comment Monday morning, has previously denied wrongdoing related to the allegations, most of which stem from recent reporting by Seven Days.
Tags: Bill Sorrell , Brady Toensing , campaign finance , Image , Web Only
Thursday, April 16, 2015
“We’re keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals and out of the hands of the dangerously mentally ill,” said Rep. Willem Jewett (D-Ripton), vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
The vote represents a historic move for Vermont lawmakers who have long been loathe to consider any legislation that restricts gun ownership in the hunter-friendly state.
The bill, S.141, would make it a misdemeanor under state law for those convicted of certain violent felonies to possess a gun. That’s already illegal under federal law, but state prosecutors have been unable to file the charge. The bill also requires state courts to report to a federal database the names of mentally ill people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
Tags: gun control , Gun Sense Vermont , Ann Braden , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only