By Michael Bielawski,
The Burlington Police Department continues to struggle to maintain adequate officer counts for the number of incidents they must handle, including a record number of non-fatal drug overdoses.
Staff has left in recent months, including three officers and two other positions. This includes their first Recruitment Coordinator, Anhad Bajwa.

“Over a year and a half—from May 1, 2023, to October 18, 2024—Recruitment Coordinator Bajwa helped with the BPD achieve its best recruiting year ever in 2023. In total, her time with the BPD saw us bringing aboard 16 sworn officers, five Emergency Communications Specialists, five Community Service Officers, and two Community Support Liaisons, among other roles,” the report states.
Despite these gains, the department continues to struggle overall with keeping adequate officer counts per the rising level of crime.
“In June 2020, the Burlington City Council voted to reduce, by attrition, the BPD’s authorized headcount from 105 to 74. An officer exodus ensued. In Oct 2021, the council raised the cap from 74 to 87, but it was not until a new, strong police contract was ratified in July 2022 that headcount stabilized. We are now working to rebuild,” it states.
One stat that stands out among incident trends is non-fatal overdoses. There have been 508 of them as of Oct. 15 this year. For perspective, in 2019 there were only 40 by this date. The number has risen sharply during the past five years, last year there were 377.
This trend is as the City is currently slated to get the state’s first site to allow observed illicit hard drug use protected from arrest. These are also known as 'overdose prevention sites'.
Also leaving is Jane Hackley who has been their records clerk since 1975. Things were different five decades ago.
“Back then Burlington had about 39,000 people, and the BPD had 98 employees. The chief was the highest paid, just shy of $17,000 a year. Church Street had vehicle traffic and no bricks, and the police department was on South Winooski Avenue.”
Two officers retired this month after two decades of service. They are Corporal Matthew White and Corporal Kevin Wilson. Wilson was an avid athlete and for his police work he “served as a uniformed patrol officer, a motorcycle officer, and an airport officer. Corporal Wilson also served as a member of our Honor Guard. Corporal Wilson received a Distinguished Service Medal in 2007.”
The report says that White “served as a uniformed patrol officer and an airport officer. From 2014 to 2015, Corporal White served as a Drug Unit Detective. Corporal White was awarded a Team Award in 2005 as part of the ‘Downtown Area Team’ and a Certificate of High Achievement in 2009 from the BPD.”
In September the Department saw a big retirement when the Deputy Chief of Operations Wade Labrecque left.
“In nearly 24 years with the BPD, Deputy Chief Labrecque served the City of Burlington and the department as a patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant, and deputy chief. He spent eight years with a hairy partner, K-9 Andre, and they made huge drug seizures and important, life-saving tracks.”
Double the workload
The overall number of incidents dealt with by officers has about doubled since their 2020 defunding.
“It’s still staggering; the trendline shows a 200% increase,” the report states.
Incidents for the year are down 2% from last year but still up overall 6% since 2019. And it’s dealing with these trends “with 50% fewer nonsupervisory patrol officers.”
This means not all incidents get an in-person response.
“As a result, of the 24,274 incidents in 2024 so far, 3,236 have been ‘stacked’—i.e., 13%. And 1,286 began as online reports, or 5%,” it states.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
And why haven’t the people who were instrumental in the defund the police efforts been held accountable? Why haven’t they taken ownership of their Iill conceived efforts? Yet they still second guess the Chief of Police and push for oversight. It sounds like the oversight focus should be over the city council and the current mayor. The defund the police crew are directly responsible for what has happened to our once beautiful and safe Queen City. Absolutely didgusting!! Hats off to the Chief and his dedicated and loyal officers who have chosen to remain and serve.