Burlington leadership call for more officers, new programs after city defunded police: ‘That was a mistake’

Community leaders in Burlington, Vermont, a town currently dealing with troubling levels of homelessness, drug addiction and crime, are urgently looking to boost the city's police presence after the force was partially defunded in 2020.

Pomerleau Real Estate CEO and President Ernie Pomerleau, as well as Burlington City Council President Ben Traverse, spoke to Fox News Digital last week about the city’s need to bolster its police department after it was defunded in the wake of the George Floyd riots and racial justice movement of 2020. The Burlington Police Department has since struggled with recruitment.

"And so, they allowed attrition to take down the police force – that was a mistake," Pomerleau told the outlet, adding, "We need to support the police."

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Ernie Pomerleau and Ben Traverse spoke with Fox News Digital about how the city of Burlington, Vermont is responding to concerns regarding homelessness, drug use and crime.  (Fox News)

Pomerleau’s concerns have been driven by a serious uptick in homelessness, drug addiction and crime that has gripped the picturesque New England town that sits on the edge of Lake Champlain. 

Significant numbers of homeless people congregate downtown, among them are people addicted to hard drugs like fentanyl, which has led to a 1,000 percent increase in overdoses - leaving first responders strained.

Additionally, violent crime is up significantly in Burlington, with crime data showing that aggravated assault has increased 40 percent and gunfire has gone up nearly 300 percent. Some local residents told Fox they find it "dangerous" to be out in public at night.

Both the real estate leader and city council president stressed that the city is looking to replenish the police department that had been depleted in recent years to combat these growing issues.

Inspired by the racial justice movement in 2020, the city council approved a resolution that year to support the reduction of the police force by 30% through attrition. In addition, the resolution declared that racism was a citywide public health crisis. As a result, the previous cap of 105 officers was lowered to only 74.

In the wake of increasing homelessness and crime, the city has voted multiple times to boost police numbers. In 2022, the council raised the cap to 87 officers, and in 2024 voted to increase the police budget by $2.47 million, providing funding for "10 additional armed cops, 5 lesser-armed cops (Community Service Officers), and allocated $100,000 toward recruiting efforts that have been a complete failure to date," Vermont progressive outlet "The Rake" reported.

Still, the Burlington Police Department has struggled to fill the roles. Currently, there are only 68 officers in the department. 

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A police officer checks on a homeless individual sleeping on the sidewalk in downtown Burlington, Vermont. (Fox News)

Pomerleau, whose father is the namesake for the police department's administrative building, said that he disagreed with the initial decision to defund the police four years ago and expressed that adding more police is an urgent need.

"But look, everything is 2020 looking backwards. At the time, there were people that defended that and thought it was the right choice, so I'm not going to double guess everything at the moment, but right now I'm saying we need 20 more people and we need them now," he said. 

The real estate business owner also admitted that the city is not being tough enough on criminals, telling Fox, "We have to address some of the legislative changes that occurred that diminish the consequences of some serious crimes."

Pomerleau outlined the city of Burlington's recent initiatives to promote "Community Safety with Human Dignity" in a conversation with Fox News Digital.

The plan, which includes authorization to staff an additional 20 officers, also includes a Division of Community Service Officer that assists with Social Services. Burlington Fire and Rescue has also dedicated personnel to deal with the addicted population. The City of Burlington has also created a new position, known as the Officer for Community Safety. 

The Urgent Care Mental Health Clinic in the area is expected to open this week and will deal with those suffering from psychological illnesses. The BB Downtown Ambassador Program has also cultivated a new program to support retailers with ongoing issues and help the addicted population find help. 

Organizations including the Downtown Health Project and Johnson Health Clinic, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, Howard Center, Turning Point Center, COTS and Champlain Housing Trust are also part of the initiative to tackle homelessness, addiction and mental health concerns in the city. 

Traverse acknowledged the struggles the city has had in recent years with having enough police around to deal with drug usage and "some increased criminality that we've been seeing."

"I think like a lot of police departments around the country, Burlington is working to address recruitment and retention within our police department. But we're working through these issues, and I trust that things are getting better."

Describing some of the crimes that have been occurring in Burlington, he said, "I think we've seen increased drug trafficking and drug use. You've seen increased circumstances of retail theft as well, and a lot of crimes that revolve around that – increased gun-related crimes and other violence that comes with an increase in drug trafficking. Those are the kinds of issues that we've been dealing with here."

A view of Lake Champlain at the edge of Burlington, Vermont.  (Fox News)

The city council president stressed to Fox that the council has "really been working to support our police department" in light of these circumstances.

"You know, we love our police here in Burlington," Traverse said. "Burlington is a great place to live and raise a family. It's where I've chosen to live and raise my family. And we're working to address recruitment retention challenges through things like increased pay, hiring, bonuses, great benefits. We're looking at a new police station here in Burlington and other supports."

"You know, if you have folks that are out there that are looking for a career in policing, Burlington's a great place to be and we could use you," he added. 

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Not all community leaders in Burlington believe that increasing police or relying on traditional law enforcement measures is the way to deal with increased drug addiction and related crimes in the city. 

Ed Baker, a harm reduction activist and former addict, told Fox News that "these types of control measures just don't work."

"The jails are full of people. On any one given day you could rush out in here into downtown Burlington and arrest 200 people. What good does it do? It just doesn't work. It's not going to work over the short term and it's not going to work over the long term. It's a response that doesn't work and it's very expensive."

He explained how harm reduction is a much better approach in dealing with addicts, saying it’s about reaching "people who are using drugs while they're using drugs and not pressure them to stop using drugs, but to keep them alive while they're using drugs." He noted that community members should "engage them in helping relationships and try to help them to see how in their life they can be motivated to harm themselves and the community less."

Pomerleau explained to Fox that, while he believes the city needs more police and to be tougher on crime, it must be compassionate to those suffering homelessness and addiction. 

Noting the city’s plans to foster "community safety with human dignity," he said, "It's a balance. It really has to come together… In the middle, everybody agrees that these are human beings that we have to address. But there are safety issues that have to be addressed."

Pomerleau stressed that the city is taking these problems very seriously. 

"None of it's easy," he said. "But I think this is sort of a call to action. We agree that we have some challenges that we need to overcome for the economics of the city as well as the social fabric of the city. And people are awake to that and want to change. And we're working hard on getting that."

Traverse said he believes that the city would overcome its "significant challenges." 

"Burlington has a ton going for it," he said. "It's still an amazing city. I'm convinced that our best days are ahead of us. We have our challenges right now, but we're working to address them." 

Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.