Vt. attorney general: Cleared Burlington cops have rights, too
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Protesters seeking racial justice and the firing of three Burlington police officers have now been camped out in Battery Park for a month.
Those officers were cleared of criminal wrongdoing, one of them by Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan.
We asked Donovan about that and he says it’s up to the city whether or not to take further action. But he stressed the importance of applying the law equally to everyone and not making exceptions.
“While we recognize the protesters' legal rights, we also have to recognize the employees have legal rights, as well, and we have to follow the rule of law because when we start to make exceptions, when we cut corners on anybody’s rights, we all lose,” said Donovan, D-Vt. Attorney General.
Donovan says he supports changes to Vermont’s use of force laws, to make it so that force is only used when absolutely necessary.
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