BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington City Council voted to remove the cap on Burlington’s police force, which has been a contentious issue since 2020.
The measure passed by only 1 vote.
The resolution rolls back the 9-3 decision from 2020 to cap the number of Burlington police officers at 74. That move resulted in a mass exodus from the department.
In 2021, the council raised the cap from 74 to 87, but recruitment and retention have still been difficult.
Under the resolution, the number of police officers will instead be determined by the need, hiring goals, and the city budget.
At Monday night’s City Council meeting, the vote came down to party lines.
Democrats voted in favor while progressive select board members strongly opposed the move.
“This does nothing to improve recruitment or attention, it is a performative distraction. The removal of the cap without an assessment is not a meaningful policy initiative. Especially when the current number is 64 and there is no likelihood of reaching the cap or the budgeted number this year,” said Eugene Bergman (P-Burlington).
That sentiment was shared by progressive mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who called the resolution ‘premature.’
Mulvaney-Stanak said it was better to use taxpayer money for peer-reviewed recruitment methods instead of removing the cap.
She also repeated that with just 64 officers, the department did not meet its 2024 hiring goals. Still, democratic city councilors maintain the resolution would help.
“I’m interested in removing obstacles to recruitment and we’ve been told this is an obstacle to recruitment, there are others this isn’t the only one – but it seems very simple to me that if we remove this it is a gesture and it may actually improve our ability to attract lateral hires,” said Mark Barlow, (D-Burlington).
Ultimately, the resolution was passed 6 to 5 Monday night.
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