At their October 18 meeting, the City Council will vote on a resolution to raise the cap on the number of authorized sworn police officers to 88 (80 positions available to serve Burlington plus 8 positions contractually assigned to the Burlington International Airport). In June 2020, the City Council voted to reduce the number of authorized officers to 74, including the 8 officers assigned to the Airport. We are currently operating with a force significantly smaller than 74 due to many officers choosing to retire, work for another department, or change careers, largely as a result of this (and other) Council decisions.

The final CNA operational and functional assessment of our police department recommended a range of 81 – 88. I am told that some councilors may seek to amend the resolution by setting the cap at the low end of the range recommended by CNA – perhaps to "prove" that they were right when they reduced our police force by 30% last year. It is clear from the report that we need to be at 88 if we are to meet our obligations to airport staffing (8 officers), and if we want to avoid cuts to our capacity to address domestic violence and sex crimes.

Community members who want the Council to fix the mistake they made last year should let their views be known, either by contacting their city councilors or speaking in public forum (7:30-9:30). It is possible for members of the public to speak at public forum from a remote location; check the City Council agenda for instructions.

Sep 21, 2024, 9:30 to 11:30 AM

Sep 22, 2024, 3 to 4:30 PM

Sep 25, 2024, 7 to 8:30 PM