The Burlington Police Department is temporarily suspending solo officer patrols in response to the Thursday night attack on Dallas police that killed five officers and wounded seven.
Police Chief Brandon del Pozo said he is concerned about the “prospect of copycat attacks” on local police.
Dallas police said three suspects are in custody and one is dead after police were targeted by sniper fire while monitoring a nonviolent protest of police killings of black men across the country.
“America is protected by a patchwork of 18,000 police agencies, and a repeat incident in one of them is not unfathomable,” del Pozo said.
Burlington police will pair up for patrols, which del Pozo said could delay response times to some non-urgent calls.
“Burlington police are friends, neighbors and Vermonters,” del Pozo said. “Their work conditions are adjusted as the hazards they face change, as in any profession. Double patrols are safer for officers and are in fact the standard in many urban agencies.”
In a prepared statement released Friday morning, Vermont State Police said they will remain on guard but did not announce any new procedures.
“The Vermont State Police will continue to remain vigilant and assess any threat that would jeopardize the safety of our troopers or the communities we serve,” Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn and Col. Matthew Birmingham said in the joint statement. “Our members are among the most highly trained and dedicated law enforcement officers in the nation and will continue to serve all Vermonters with the highest standards of professionalism and respect.”
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Thank God they are going out in pairs..Why take a chance, anything can happens..There has been other killings of police officers in other states, Ga, MO, Lets be careful out there..this is to all police, sheriffs and state police in Vt…BE SAFE!!!
The Burlington Police, led by their new big city chief are simply refusing to do their job. There is nothing about the Dallas shooting that suggests that Burlington is next, or in line for being targeted ever. How many cops does it take to write up an accident report, or ticket a speeder? Whatever the number was, it just doubled. So now we’ll have one cop doing their job while the other one sips coffee. No doubt, next we’ll hear the plea for more cops because there aren’t enough to sip coffee, er, I mean . . take accident reports from fender benders.
The reason cops got killed in Dallas isn’t because there wasn’t another cop standing next to them. Doubling up patrols would appear to put more cops at risk, not less. What an stupid response, honestly!
@Stacybtv802 .. there are other states that are now having their officers pairing up.. Whats your problem, hate cops?? Had problems with them? It’s better to be safe then sorry.. I for one RESPECT our police in our state.. Just because we are a small state doesn’t mean an officer can’t be shot.. Burlington Chief Brandon del Pozo stated that this is just temporarily..Vermont is changing in the wrong way..My neighbor is a officer, I have 3 relatives who are in the police force and I don’t want them shot!!!! The police are NOT refusing to do their jobs!!!!
If Burlington police don’t conduct themselves like those in the police states like Texas, they should have no worry about retaliation over treating the people they work for poorly.
In large part, Vermont police are a different breed compared to most other states, still decent and honest in the performance of their duties. Can’t say I feel entirely the same about Burlington, but I limit my exposure to that place as much as possible anyway. But pairing up in a defensive posture just sends the wrong message. Not at all unexpected from a former NYC gang member.
Doubling up protects us as well due to situations across the country all cops are on the high alert so having two lessens the chance for lethal force that is unwarranted…… just saying
The issue is the nuts that are out there and take this as an opportunity to kill a police officer. Does it cost more? Yes it does. We are not that far away from a lack of Rule of Law, once that breaks down we no longer have a country. I hate to say but, I think we are all witness to the collapse of this once great nation.
There are far too many with their hand out and not enough working to pay the bill. Of course this current government likes it this way because they have control. Maybe it’s time for a true new government!