Mayor, acting chief respond to police agreement with apartment complex to provide security

Burlington police will no longer be paid to provide private security in uniform for a Burlington apartment complex after a news story exposed a contract Mayor Miro Weinberger has criticized as "problematic."

Weinberger and acting chief Jon Murad of the Burlington Police Department released a statement late Tuesday evening responding to the private security contract revealed by Seven Days which was approved in October by a lieutenant. According to the alt weekly's reporting, the contract between the police union and the apartment complex was approved by a lieutenant in October. Murad had full knowledge of the contract, but Weinberger did not.

The agreement allowed officers to provide security to River Watch apartment complex off of Riverside Avenue in full uniform, using Burlington Police Department cruisers, uniforms and weapons. Weinberger said in his statement that the off-duty security job was not in line with what the contract between the city and the Burlington Police Officers' Association allows. While the contract does allow for "voluntary extra duty details," which includes gigs like traffic control during parades or races or security for other special events, it does not include allowance for long-term contracts.

Weinberger directed police leaders to not renew the River Watch contract when it ended Jan. 17 according to the Tuesday press release.

"Of much greater concern is that any neighborhood in the City feels that they need to pay out of pocket for basic public safety services," Weinberger said in the press release. "We need to get back to a place as soon as possible where we consistently have a strong public safety presence and the resources to provide an immediate response to any person who calls for police support as we have historically.”

Burlington police face staffing shortages

Weinberger and the chief have both spoken many times publicly about the staffing problems the Burlington Police Department faces. River Watch residents payed officers $81 an hour according to Seven Days reporting and officers worked a combined 220 hours from October through January.

“I understand that news of the River Watch contract gives Burlingtonians pause," Murad said in the release. "Equal application of the law—and of police services—is the cornerstone of our agency, and always has been."

Murad blamed the increase in some crime and the department's extreme staff shortages as the reason the residents of the apartment complex sought out private security.

The Burlington Police Commission had a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss concerns of the River Watch contract conflicting with the police union's contract with the city, said police commissioner Stephanie Seguino in an interview Wednesday. Seguino said the commission also went into executive session to discuss a complaint over a personnel matter.

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: Mayor condemns police's private security contract