Vermont municipal leaders pitch police reform plan

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - In the face of calls for widespread police reform, Vermont’s municipal leaders are laying down a plan to train and strengthen the state’s local police departments.

The Vermont League of Cities and Towns, which represents municipalities at the Statehouse, is pitching a plan for police reform in Vermont.

They’re calling for the creation of a Vermont-based law enforcement accreditation process and want to expand who can enter law enforcement and how they’re trained.

Their plan also preserves qualified immunity, which means individual officers can not be held liable for constitutional violations.

“To suddenly tell someone that they will be liable for something that is appropriate, I don’t think we’ll have any more police officers frankly or any other city officials,” Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser said.

At the same time, the Scott administration is moving forward with its own recommendations. Gov. Phil Scott says he signed an executive order dealing with police reform and will unveil its contents “soon.”

Our Dom Amato spoke with former VLCT president and current St. Albans City Manager Dominic Cloud about some of the possible changes.

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