Alarmed at spike in crime, Burlington lawmakers call for hiring more cops

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Democratic city councilors in Burlington are sounding the alarm about public safety in the Queen City and calling for more cops to be hired.

“We’re all on the same page here -- which is that we need to address public and community safety here in Burlington,” said Burlington City Council President Ben Traverse, D-Ward 5.

In the last few weeks, Burlington Police have responded to a number of violent incidents downtown, including assaults with large groups of people, and a murder on Church Street.

“Cities across the country are unfortunately seeing an uptick in gun violence, gunfire incidents, and criminality. It’s incumbent upon all of those communities, Burlington included, to address the current situation,” Traverse said.

Council Democrats plan to introduce four resolutions at the next meeting, including calling on the Legislature to ban guns in bars, establishing a public safety hub downtown, building a new police station, and removing the current cap on the number of police officers in the city.

Led by Progressives, the city council voted in 2020 to slash the police force by 30%, lowering the cap from 105 to 74 officers. But the council decision caused an exodus of officers, and despite a 2022 vote to raise the cap to 87 officers, the BPD currently has just 68 total officers.

“I wouldn’t say it’s designed to right a wrong necessarily as much as it’s designed to make sure our 2024 police department is reflective of 2024 conditions,” Traverse said.

The cap is based on 2019 data. But 2024 data shows gunfire is up nearly 300 percent, overdoses 1,000 percent, and aggravated assault up 40 percent.

Council Member Melo Grant, P-Central, agrees the city needs more officers but says the challenge is recruiting. “Lifting the cap will do nothing because we don’t have people applying. We can’t even get to the number we budgeted,” she said. Grant says to effect change, it should start with fixing the department’s image. “How do people search for jobs, especially if people are going to be moving to a different place? You go online. What’s the reputation of the employer? We have to fix these things. Nothing in the resolution does that. It’s all political.”

The council meeting is scheduled for Monday night at 6:30 at City Hall.

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