Burlington City Council approves Murad as police chief amidst community divide

The Burlington City Council approved Acting Chief Jon Murad of the Burlington Police Department as chief of police Monday night, voting 8-4 in favor.

The approval comes a year after the council voted down Murad's initial appointment by Mayor Miro Weinberger. The action also comes after three years of Murad serving as the acting chief following the social media missteps in 2019 that led to former Chief Brandon Del Pozo and former Interim Chief Jan Wright to resign or be removed and the resignation of Interim Chief Jen Morrison in September 2020.

Burlingtonians and city councilors spent three hours talking about Murad’s strengths and weaknesses, some concerned about the chief's commitment to accountability and trust-building, others satisfied with his admission to past mistakes and his response to heightened gun violence and a reduced police force. Walking out of Contois Auditorium at 11 p.m., Murad said he was grateful.

“I’ve been here for three years, it’s been three years that were pretty stressful at times, really satisfying at other times,” Murad said. “I think we’ve accomplished a lot but I think there’s a lot more to do. I’m going to take to heart the criticisms voiced tonight, the critiques, but I’m also incredibly grateful for the confidence that was voiced tonight, and I am really eager to just keep doing what I have been doing but do it now with a little bit of extra vigor and extra credibility and a clearer sense of purpose for the whole community.”

Burlingtonians share mixed reviews of Murad

Members of the public were split over Murad’s appointment.

Burlingtonians brought up specific incidents and events in support of and in opposition of Murad’s appointment including his tacit approval of a private security contract involving Burlington Police officers at River Watch apartments, his confrontational interaction with a surgeon at University of Vermont Medical Center after the shooting of an 18-year-old as well as his calm demeanor during the racial justice protests and camping in Battery Park during the summer of 2020.

Some brought up Murad's interactions with the Burlington Police Commission. Debra Clemmer of Ward 2 said she had attended Police Commission meetings in March and April, curious to see what the dynamic was after the community control board was voted down on Town Meeting Day. Clemmer said Murad was defensive when issues were brought up that he didn't agree with.

"He was not open to their feedback and in my view, presented himself as not really wanting to hear their comments," Clemmer said. "I think a person in leadership should be open to feedback even if they don't agree with the problem being stated and that a leader should initiate, problem solve and strategize with the people who have issues. I saw none of this in the two meetings I attended."

Others commended Murad for his past three years of work. Former City Councilor Dave Hartnett said to attract more officers, Burlington police needs a strong, permanent leader and that Murad fit the bill.

"Listen, Jon's made mistakes, he's not perfect, nobody said that," Hartnett said. "He really doesn't even deserve this job, he's earned it. For three years, he's been in a job interview."

Democratic majority council approves Murad, asks for collaboration

When Weinberger brought Murad forward as his appointee last year, Progressive city councilors stopped the appointment in a 6-6 tie. This year, with a Democratic majority, the council appointed Murad with the four Progressives on council still opposing the appointment.

Councilors asked Murad questions about how he would better his relationship with the Police Commission if approved and how bias effects his police officers. Murad, as he has said in the past, he does not believe that racial bias is the reason for the racial disparities in Burlington police arrests.

"What I see is the existence of these disparities and I don't see the disparities as the same as bias," Murad said. "I don't believe that they are the same and I believe if we see examples where officer bias is causing the situations, I will absolutely take action on those."

South District City Councilor Joan Shannon, D, approved of Murad and commented on the hospital incident, in which a surgeon reported that Murad threatened to arrest him if he did not allow access to a gunshot victim.

"I appreciate that you had the humility to apologize for your actions up at the hospital and I also appreciate that you were there and that in that moment there was a conflict between the interest of the doctor, who's interest was solely the patient, and your interest, which is our public safety and fighting to find out who the shooter was, a shooter that in fact went on to shoot two more people after that night," she said.

Central District City Councilor Melo Grant, P, said Murad's actions at the hospital were disqualifying in her opinion and created further distrust of police amongst the community.

"I found it to be an abuse of power, and I found it to be unnecessary," she said. "I also felt it set a very poor example for our officers, like what are we showing our officers in terms of how to interact with individuals. This cost our officers social currency."

Progressives including Zoraya Hightower of Ward 1 and Joe Magee of Ward 3 said they were not voting for Murad because of the politicization of the appointment and the inaction from the mayor to hold Murad to a higher behavioral standard.

Karen Paul, D-Ward 6, the City Council president, closed the meeting with an address to Murad, asking him to work with the council even when they disagree, to pay attention to his tone and to prioritize building trust.

"Accountability and oversight can be a positive, they are not to be feared," she said to the chief. "They are at the heart of trust and in the end, that trust can be the embrace that binds us in the common goal in transformational and broadly accepted public safety."

Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington police: Murad wins City Council nod to become chief