Burlington police conducted internal investigations of both incidents using out-of-state experts, which resulted in suspension without pay for one of the arresting officers, Chief Brandon del Pozo said. His department also apprised the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s office and the city police commission, he said.
According to the chief, Sgt. Jason Bellavance, a shift supervisor and veteran of the department, faced discipline for his “unnecessary or unreasonable” use of force while investigating a report of a fight at What Ales You, a bar at the corner of St. Paul Street and Main Street, just after midnight on September 9.
The officer’s bodycam footage, provided to Seven Days by the attorneys who filed suit against the department, shows Bellavance exit his patrol car and follow a bar employee up the Main Street sidewalk. The employee points the officer toward a man in a flannel shirt who is arguing with another bar employee in front of JP’s Pub.
The man, then-24-year-old Jérémie Meli, a Congolese immigrant, can be heard saying “You guys started the fight,” to a bar employee who is tapping a finger into Meli’s chest.
A split-second later, Bellavance walks up and shoves Meli from the side. Meli falls toward the building and appears to hit his head against the wall. A thud is audible on the recording. Bellavance grabs Meli’s limp body by the shoulder and drags him away from the wall. Meli’s eyes appear to roll around as he’s being moved.
Meli’s brother, Albin, immediately begins yelling at Bellavance.
“Sir, sir! Are you fucking kidding me?” he can be heard saying.
“Back up,” Bellavance orders the brother away.
“Sir, he’s nonresponsive. Are you fucking kidding me?” Albin says.
Jérémie regains consciousness as Bellavance tells him to “roll over.” Bellavance and two other officers then begin to handcuff Jérémie as he wriggles on his stomach. “Stop resisting,” another officer orders.
Albin can be heard yelling off camera: “That’s my brother! He didn’t do anything!”
One of the other officers asks Jérémie, “How’s your head?” while another, identified in the federal lawsuit as Vincent Ross, tells Jérémie he will “get fucking Tased” if he kicks the officer.
A few minutes later, as the officers pinning Jérémie wait for first responders, Albin can be seen pushing another officer, identified in the civil lawsuit as Cory Campbell, on the shoulder while saying, “I’m sorry to say this, but can you please tell them to stop.”
Campbell and several other officers immediately tackle him.
Campbell is named as a defendant, along with Bellavance, in the civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by attorney Evan Chadwick of the firm Chadwick and Spensley.
Campbell is currently on administrative duty as Vermont State Police investigate the death of 54-year-old Douglas Kilburn, whom Campbell punched multiple times during a March altercation outside the University of Vermont Medical Center. Campbell and a UVM security guard have said that Kilburn punched the officer first, though some of Kilburn’s family members told Seven Days that fractures to his jaw and eye socket led them to believe Campbell hit Kilburn more than was necessary.
The Melis’ lawsuit alleges Campbell and Bellavance violated the Melis’ constitutional protection from excessive police force.
The complaint states that Jérémie suffers lingering effects from a head injury and needs special accommodations as he pursues a medical degree. Albin required a cast for injuries to his thumb, according to the suit.
Charges against both brothers were dropped. Del Pozo said prosecutors dismissed their case against Jérémie because the alleged victim declined to cooperate when the case headed toward trial. The chief did not specify the length of Bellavance’s suspension.
The second suit stems from an incident the night before the encounter with the Meli brothers.
Burlington officer Joseph Corrow came upon a group of people on the sidewalk of the same block of Main Street. Mabior Jok, 34, can be seen in Corrow’s bodycam video in the middle of a circle of people, opposite another man. Corrow would later report in a criminal affidavit that he saw Jok punch the other man.
The video shows Corrow walk directly towards Jok. Just as Jok turns toward the officer, Corrow extends both arms and pulls Jok to the ground. Jok lost consciousness, according to Corrow’s affidavit, and the video shows a small pool of blood forming on the pavement near Jok’s mouth.
Bystanders can be heard on the video uttering “Police brutality,” and “You didn’t have to do that, bro.” A woman walks over to the officer and asks if Jok is breathing.
“He’s fine,” Corrow replies.
Jok regains consciousness and sits up, handcuffed, with blood visible in his mouth. He tells Corrow that he “slammed” him, to which Corrow replies, “Yeah, I slammed you ’cause of what you were doing. Don’t raise your hands at me. It’s really simple.”
In a criminal affidavit supporting charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Corrow stated that he was trying to grab Jok’s left arm to handcuff him when Jok “began backing up and raising his arms.”
“I was in fear that Jok was going to assault me,” Corrow wrote.
The civil lawsuit on behalf of Jok, filed by Chadwick’s partner, Robb Spensley, claims that Bellavance arrived and interviewed witnesses who said Jok hadn’t punched anyone.
Corrow reported in his affidavit that he knew Jok from previous interactions. Jok had 10 misdemeanor convictions and five felony charges at the time.
In April, the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office dismissed the charges against Jok stemming from the encounter with Corrow. The state had sought to exclude the bodycam footage from trial for the disorderly conduct, contending that the crime had been completed before the video begins, and that footage of the arrest would be “extremely prejudicial” to a jury.
Del Pozo said prosecutors dropped the case against Jok because he had accrued more serious felony charges and that his time in jail awaiting trial for those cases would have fulfilled any penalty for disorderly conduct.
Corrow did not face discipline because the internal investigation found that he had intervened in a fight, del Pozo said. The review did find that Corrow should have informed dispatch of the violent incident and requested backup “to maximize the likelihood of a safe outcome for all involved.”
“He was counseled in this regard, this expectation was reiterated to the police union, and it was briefed to trainers and at roll calls,” del Pozo said.
Both civil suits name the city, del Pozo in his official capacity as police chief, and Bellavance as defendants.
Bellavance was previously named in an excessive force suit over a 2011 arrest of a man who was in line at a hot dog stand on New Year’s Eve. Bellavance broke a man’s orbit bone and teeth while forcing him to the ground as he resisted Bellavance’s escort away from the late-night vendor, according to court records. A judge determined Bellavance’s actions were reasonable and dismissed the man’s claims.
Del Pozo planned to host a press conference Friday to discuss the latest allegations.
Earlier this week, while taking questions from Burlington city councilors over his handling of the Kilburn case, del Pozo said he was planning to revisit the department’s 2013 use-of-force policy. He told councilors that departmental training had outpaced its use-of-force policy. He alluded to circumstances in which officers’ actions were not in accordance with current training — but were allowed under current policy.
Del Pozo directed Seven Days’ followup questions about the policy review to deputy chief Jon Murad, who was unable to cite specific deficiencies in the present policy or examples of where it had hindered the ability to discipline officers for inappropriate conduct.
Read the Mabior Jok suit here:
And the Meli brothers’ lawsuit is here:
This story will be updated.
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Sgt. Bellavance’s first interaction with Mr. Meli is absolutely ridiculous. No verbal commands, no attempt to de-escalate, just a shove into the wall that appears to cause Mr. Meli to hit his head and lose consciousness. Surely that is not consistent with BPD’s training or policy, and it’s incredibly dangerous. If a non-officer did the same thing and Mr. Meli died as a result of hitting his head (which has definitely happened), it would probably be charged as voluntary manslaughter, if not murder.
In the first video one can obviously tell Sgt. Bellavance barely touches Mr. Meli, who then falls to the ground due to his extraordinary level of alcohol impairment and inability to stand upright and not because of any of Bellavance’s actions. Shame on Chief del Pozo for disciplining Sgt. Bellevance when clearly no violation occurred.
The arresting officers did nothing wrong. del Pozo needs to focus on preventing the enabling of this type of public drunken belligerence the same way he needs stop enabling opiate use which is become so pervasive in our City.
In response Mr. DeFrancis’s comment, it’s certainly foreseeable that Mr. Meli would be intoxicated and unsteady on his feet, and as a result would go down easily if shoved. Which is exactly why you don’t shove him! If Sgt. Bellavance was intent on skipping any verbal interaction of any kind due to a concern about Mr. Meli becoming violent or something like that (and we could debate whether that’s appropriate; spoiler alert – it’s not) then the thing to do is grab him and secure him.
This department is a mess full of disrespect, aggression, and violence, Campbell has a history of excessive force, we need civilian oversight and police accountability, and del Pozo needs to step down immediately.
Cory Campbell and Brendan Delpozo need to step down immediately from their positions of authority. Because clearly they think “authority” means it’s ok to use horrendous physical force against people. Campbell also clearly has had several involvements with physical altercations on how to stop an incident and needs serious repercussions for his actions. His name is mentioned in several cases and for using excessive force and Delpozo doesn’t see anything wrong with this? Delpozo comes from a large city that is used to dishonest police, police corruption and police cover ups. We here in VT do not like our law enforcement to do justice like this. Douglas Kilburn is my Uncle and we will get justice for him and any other victims that incidents like this have happened to.
Were those “Heroes” protecting or serving?
It seems the definition of “excessive force” needs to be clarified for the BPD. I give a lot of respect for anyone in that job, but some people get off on power, and putting them in a uniform is a disaster in the making. The previous commenter was right. This is Burlington VT, not the corrupt city of NYC. For all of our sakes, people, DIAL IT DOWN!
Paco DeFrancis: how do you come to the conclusion that “one can obviously tell Sgt. Bellavance barely touches Mr. Meli, who then falls to the ground due to his extraordinary level of alcohol impairment and inability to stand upright”? That is not at all what it looks like to me. It looks like the officer aggressively pushes Mr Meli without prior provocation. He just walked right up to him and shoved him without so much as communicating a warning to him first. Unless I’m missing something, your interpretation is just entirely wrong.
These video is extremely upsetting. Both of these events, the officers made no attempt at de-escalting without immediately resorting the the use of physical force. These are our guardian angels. These two officers are wannabe thugs. Join the military of you want some action. This is not what protecting the people looks like. It’s even more of a shame that our police force is condoning this type of action and see nothing wrong with it. Even though the PEOPLE see it CLEARLY. Officer Bellavance got paid time off and then desk duty after messing up this med students life. What a shame
That first video is a fine example of despicable police conduct on all counts. Even after what was obviously a severe head injury the second female officer comes in and immediately puts her knee into Meli’s spine at the back of his neck and proceeds to lean her weight into it while leveraging the joints in his arm to inflict pain. No concern for the head injury at all! Then, they all start yelling at him to “stop resisting”. Be honest, just tell him to remain perfectly still while you inflict as much pain & damage as you can and you expect him to just lay there and take it. Nobody alive wouldn’t squirm and try to ease the pain under those conditions.
The Burlington PD are criminals. The entire department should be disbanded.
Second video. Play it in slow motion. The kids arms were at his side the whole time.
Sgt. B barely touched him, he was obviously extremely drunk, which is why he was belligerent and resisting in the first place, and clearly the reason that he fell. It’s very easy to criticize those who do the highly stressful and impossibly difficult job of policing our city and keeping us safe from unsavory types like these hardly blameless angels. Jok: 5 felonies and 10 misdemeanors… really? The real problem downtown lies with excessive alcohol consumption, not excessive force.
Assault first, ask questions later.
Guilty until proven innocent.
One shove and he’s knocked unconscious.
Another strike on our police’s conscience .
If they had one.
Better hide the footage.
Better if we knock them to the ground.
Excessive force is so euphoric.
You should really give it a try.
Who cares if some folk get broken.
We police are duty bound.
To take an eye for an eye.
And leave us all blind.
Important to remember that the Chief and Mayor, who have full control over every police camera, love to claim that they are on the side of transparency but they only released these horrific videos after a lawsuit was going to release them anyway.
Take your own videos since you cant trust the BPD or administration to engage in honesty, transparency, or consistency around policing and body cameras.
I don’t think anyone should step down, but I don’t think Paco DeFrancis is right either. National police policies have become part of local police procedures: hit to injure, shoot to kill, get them on the ground, etc. Militarization of the police force has been happening for a decade. Only now are towns reconsidering police policies that lead to these outcomes. The police were called about a fight. They arrived ready to subdue and cart away the troublesome parties. They shouldn’t have to injure people lying on the ground. They may have been told to be rough, but this is not how it should work. The police are here to serve the people, and when they address a bar fight, they can expect intoxication. I think if the Dozen Extra Police in this video had stayed in their cars, or on the fringes, it wouldn’t look so much like a fascist over-reaction to a customer/bouncer clash. We should see only a few police – the others (if nothing else is happening in town) could stay by their cars unless they see trouble. [Also – was this the only bodycam available? If so, why?] My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that a bar like this (it has a reputation) could have someone there, or nearby. Why did the bouncer bounce this person? The article tells nothing about the initial incident. All we know is that the police wanted to have a show of force. In Vermont, it looks like way too much force. It is the job of the police to cool things down.
PS to Paco – the Chief is not enabling opiate use. Where on earth did that come from?
PS to Seven Days – why does it say “two black men” when it could say “two men”?
If you don’t want to get shoved by a cop, don’t get drunk and behave like an asshole.
Seems pretty simple.
Every cop critic has a big mouth – until he or she needs a cop for protection from a drunken loser.
Chief del Pozo’s problem is he can’t stop apologizing – because he’s impotent.
If he would declare that cops are paid to protect the innocent and will do so at all cost, he’d save himself a lot of this third-party socialistic handwringing.
But he’s afraid of the critics – who critique cops until they need help from predators.
And it shows. He doesn’t know how to handle spineless criticism because he’s afraid of being accused by Burlington’s welfare class – which, pathetically, runs this city – of insensitivity.
Burlington needs a ballsy police chief before it loses all semblance of order.
I cant stand Burlington police there is so many cases were race plays a part in the way they handle things i think they suck and need to step off there high horses
Like I said in a different post about Campbell having anger issues he’s involved in another altercation which shows he does. I got a lot of dislikes on that post but this shows that a lot of them have issues. Del Pozo and the rest of them should go back to the gutter they came from.
BPD used to have a good police department but they have gone down hill for the most part..
Ted Cohen check your logic. Would you tell the women in your life if they don’t want to get sexually assaulted they shouldn’t go out alone at night? You are putting the blame on the victim and not the aggressor.
Last I checked the crime for being an asshole isn’t getting assaulted and knocked unconscious by a stranger with a badge.
Seems pretty simple.
I hope those body cams aren’t the only videos. With all those people standing around, there must be footage from different angles.
Does police dept screen applicants for anger issues, PTSD, background of violence?
Bellavance, a name to remember.. I’ll have to awkwardly cross to the other side of the street when I see this guy coming towards me. BPD, please fire this meathead already. Police officers need to be held to a higher standard than the citizens they protect. They can not be hypocritical and need to held accountable for their actions. Bellavance’s hot headed display does not make me feel safe. For once I don’t need to know the whole side of the story. Visual evidence shows.. Bellavance is in the wrong. BPD, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
I would expect this kind of behavior from Dalton and Wade Garrett trying to clean up a dirty town. Now, sadly, it seems to be expected behavior from the Burlington Police Department, too.
@Freedomtothink- “The entire department should be disbanded.” Who would you cry to then if the dept is disbanded and the criminals are running wild?
This is horrific. Suspension without pay is a good start. Real training in implicit bias is a necessity. The disrespect for people of color, the aggressive use of force, the passive non response when a MINOR is assaulted by the Secret Service (not this case, but a recent one) all point to a police force that is not protecting and serving its citizens, but using physical force to intimidate and harm.
Ted.Miles, what’s the difference? Obviously the criminals(BPD)already are!
POS BURLINGTON POLICE LIKE ALL POLICE ARE CROOKS AND THEY GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING I BELIEVE THAT MAN SHOULD DO THAT SHIT EATING ASS POLICE THE SAME WAY OH HE CAN’T BECAUSE HES THE POLICE ONCE AGAIN A PIECE OF SHIT SCUMBAG BURLINGTON POLICE USING HIS AUTHORITY WRONG DO SOMETHING ABOUT POLICE AND THEIR VIOLENCE
@Ted miles645 – “The entire department should be disbanded.” Who would you cry to then if the dept is disbanded and the criminals are running wild?
Open your eyes buddy, they’ve been running wild. You’ll know them when you see them, they’re wearing black costumes and badges.
The people of Burlington could just as easily police themselves. They couldn’t possibly do a worse job and would be likely to save hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Money that could be put into schools & community centers, infrastructure improvements.
It seems fairly obvious from the two videos that Bellavance is not fit for the job, and needs to be let go. His superiors that decided after reviewing these incidents that he was fit to return to work probably need to be replaced as well.
This is obviously a difficult job, and policing downtown at 2am seems like a miserable experience, but the BPD has been making mess after mess with their handling of these situations. Sadly, the problems appear to be starting at the top.
Scuba,
The problems start at a national level. We can’t just demonize the BPD; we should talk to them about keeping their heads in these situations. Far worse has happened elsewhere, if you read up on the history of policework, and the recent turns (last decade or two). We have to talk with them – not yell at them. They’re people.
Dan Mayhew,
Maybe you need to hit “Caps Lock” one more time. We understand you feel strongly. Think about it.
Freedomtothink,
Having a police force is supposed to be how a community polices themselves. If there’s a disconnect, we must re-connect it. I don’t think the solution is to dismiss them all. I know what you mean, but if we can talk to them it will help. When I was a kid, the police had names, were friendly, and were part of the community. It should be like that again.
What kinda cop is this. He Obviously thinks he can do what ever he wants. Come at me trying that shit. People wonder when we dont feel safe with cops. Come on this shows it percent. He didnt even ask the guy anything just straight walks right up to him and shoves him in the wall knowing hes intoxicated
Sorry Charlie, I’m more worried about the policework right here at home than I am nationally, and the Burlington PD has been a tax dollar sucking disaster for quite a while. Things haven’t been improving under the current chief, they’ve been getting noticeably worse.
We can do something at the local level. It’s looking like it’s time to kick BDP to the curb, and bring in someone serious about cleaning up the disaster in the Burlington police to replace him. There have been far too many of these incidents for a city the size of Burlington, it’s time to bring in competent leadership to fix it.
I used to call the cops for noise complaints because I thought they could de-escalate. I now know I was wrong. Who the hell trained these guys? The trainers should be fired too. Even the women cops are tainted by this toxic masculinity and white privilege.
Sorry Scuba, I agree with many comments here. And you have a lot of good ideas, mixed with rage. (Nobody’s getting kicked to the curb, you know?) But you’re certainly right that this kind of thing not only shouldn’t continue, but a concerned public does need to find out how to change what’s going on.
When I said “national” I meant the militarization of the police has been a national trend – it’s not just here. It came from further up. (It’s not just us – that’s what I meant.) You’re right that we can’t affect that – we can only deal with the local situation. I’m with you.
Pretty ugly stuff there. A charge or two against cops disregarding training or going way too far when there is no immanent threat would go a long way toward changing the culture behind the badge. Most cops in this town are square dealers who get paid little and the handful of times I needed them, they protected and served me. Shame if these outliers gave the whole force a bad name.
I would certainly not trust Paco DeFrancis opinion when it comes to police video… after all, he edited and disseminated that dirty politically motivated video of Deb Ingram last election cycle…. Ill bet he could edit this to suit his narrative as well, no problem…. your local Burlington GOP at work…
A lot of these cops just think theyre such hot shit. Some of them dont, some of them act the way they should. But there was no need to push that dude. What a shame….
Charlie.
The Burlington PD polices the community by that communitys consent and that consent can & should be revoked.
It is fully within the rights of the people to do away with this heinous & corrupt failure of a government, in part or in its entirety. Fully within the rights of the people to tell these criminals that theyve dishonored their oath of office at every conceivable turn and that theyve lost the privilege of holding any office here. More than just being removed, they should be investigated and charged for crimes against the people & held to account for what theyve done.
When a government or any government agency becomes so corrupt and that corruption has festered and grown cancerous for so long, that it becomes the only way they know how to operate, there is no talking about it anymore. Its time to hit the hard reset button.
If a new police force was to be installed at any point, those police should not undergo any training by any state or federal police organization, that would only stamp out more above the law sociopaths.
Hi FreedomToThink,
Since you address me by name, I read it like it was for me.
Some of what you say paraphrases the Declaration of Independence
It seems you’re suggesting some way to reorganize the whole thing, but I have no idea how you, or we, could do that. It will be good if this incident and controversy results in getting this type of protocol straightened out, or replaced, whatever can work.
This is unacceptable behavior. Why do they expect us to pay to have police? Full public accountability or shut the dept down.
You have to be kidding me. “barely touches”… he follows through! There is no room for interpretation
There is no reason not to treat people like actual people. I’ve been in so many countries where the police are respected and intelligent and kind. This speaks to what we use our cops for, how they are treated and allowed to treat us and what we view as acceptable reactions in tense situations.
Our system attracts violence and racism. Wipe the slate in Burlington.
Policing in Burlington has become a very capitalistic affair. The police is only our when money can be made. Friday and Saturday evenings downtown is a police state. Just like the Mafia the police is our there to offer protection to the bars/clubs and make cash on anyone that might have had a drink to many. The officers are extremely aggressive and de-escalation is not in their repertoire. During weekdays there must be 2 police officers on duty period. The homeless population occupies the so called city hall park, drugs are dealt alcohol consumed in open. Just now 5/7/2019 its raining and the circus has moved to the second floor of the College Street garage just across the street from the City Park. There is drinking spilling beer on the pedestrians and cars below. No police in sight and the mayor can literary see it from his office daily.
No Smoking on Church Street has 0.00 police enforcement. The downtown gas station just got robbed by what is described as a very aggressive person and they are asking the public to help. Do your job please, not just when you can fill up the budget. Get out there walk, bike, and drive be a damn presence in the community. Put a car out on Main Street during rush hours and you will see how much safer pedestrians will feel crossing the street. The same goes for the UVM police show your presence dont hide in some parking lot. This cant be so difficult come non Miro do something. Burlington is not a metropolis is a large village that is not in need of SWAT teams but a simply visible police force that does their job enforce existing laws
Mr. Gora, you make some good points. But, you should call the police about what you see. (I don’t mean 911, I mean the local number: 658-2704.) Tell them what is happening.
It is not enough to say “Someone should have called them.” A good citizen takes responsibility.
This part: “Just like the Mafia the police is our there to offer protection to the bars/clubs…” I do not understand. Do you know of incidents where money was exchanged for protection? Perhaps you’re just trying to get a handle on why they seem present sometimes and not other times. I agree they should be a bit more present – on Church St., in City Hall Park, or wherever folks congregate in such a way as to annoy others.
I have not seen a lot of smoking on Church St. in the past few years – you have? Anyplace in particular? What I would love to outlaw (and I’m sure it’s impossible) is people yelling to their friends (fifty feet away), in someone else’s ear!
I have found that if you talk to people, even people who are very different than you, you can get good results.
Face to face is the real “social media,” and always will be.
Hi Charlie,
There has been 2 news reports on smoking on church street just last week and the city suggest we should self police approach people and ask them to respect the laws. All good we can do that but I would also love to see how many citations the police has issued for this. I am happy to call the police but it also should be their job to be there to show presence that’s all. It is not a secret where problem areas are.
Gotta love this statement from Miro, as reported in a related VT Digger article (https://vtdigger.org/2019/05/06/burlington…
“I am confident that a Council review will find both numerous areas where we have implemented innovations and reforms in recent years that are among the most progressive in the country, and areas where there is additional work to be done, he said. I look forward to working with the Council, police department, and community to ensure that our policing policies, practices, and oversight reflect the values of our City.”
Way to go, Mr. Mayor. You’ve perfectly illustrated your complete lack of concern for your actual constituents. Politician first, human being second.
I can see using force if they were swinging and in a crazy altercation but to go up to them without any verbal conversation or commands to sit down and speak to them? As I see it the approach was to kick their ass and sort it out later, and how about the color of their skin? Tell me this didn’t play into the forceful way they handled this. The resisting arrest comments are a verbal doctoring of the tape, the theater isn’t convincing! What a travesty.