Former Burlington Police Chief Jennifer Morrison will not be returning to her role with the city, citing health problems with her husband and “mismanagement” and “social activism” by the City Council that she said has put public safety in jeopardy.
Morrison’s husband is recovering from a transplant operation he had earlier this summer, which prompted Morrison to step away from her role as the interim police chief in June. She had been scheduled to return this month or next as the city looks for a permanent replacement for disgraced former Chief Brandon del Pozo, who stepped down last December. Morrison took over as interim in January.
But in a letter to Mayor Miro Weinberger released Monday, Morrison said the primary reason she wouldn’t return this fall was the recent conduct of the council.
“I believe that too many members of the current City Council are more interested in social activism than good governance,” she wrote.
Morrison criticized the council’s policy on Fair and Impartial Policing and their move to cut the number of police officers by 30%. Morrison said both moves were influenced by politics, were arbitrary and put public safety at risk.
Burlington is one of many communities across the country where activists are calling for reduced spending on police and more on social services. In addition, Burlington is also facing protests like those occurring nationwide over police use of force, with activists calling for the firing of three Burlington officers who were investigated for excessive force. Some of those activists have been camped out for more than a week in Battery Park in front of police headquarters.
Morrison said the final straw in her decision to not return was watching councilors debate the police department budget in late June.
“I witnessed councilors who conflated facts, ignored information previously provided to them, and demonstrated disrespect for their department heads by diving deep into line items within department budgets and cutting line items without even knowing what the impact the cuts would have, nor the ripple effects of cutting in one area,” Morrison said.
She added: “That budget meeting was a shocking display of micromanagement — or rather, mismanagement. It was dispiriting to see numerous councilors send the message loud and clear that they think they know more about the operations than the Department Heads who have devoted their entire careers to these pursuits.”
The council’s decision to cut the number of officers by 30% was arbitrary, Morrison said, a figure “culled from a national movement” and was “unconscionable” without evaluation.
“I could go on on at great length about all the reasons this is wrong, but let me cut to the point and say that I believe the Burlington City Council has created circumstances that are antithetical to public safety,” she said.
Morrison told Weinberger that she had been holding onto to her letter announcing she would not return “for a little while” and was concerned that the letter would be viewed as “incendiary at a time when there is already significant discord in the community.” The letter, written Sept. 1, was sent to Weinberger on Sunday.
Morrison called it her “fervent hope” that “all relevant stakeholders will come together, without unattainable ultimatums, and work toward meaningful policy and operational reforms regarding public safety.”
The plan had been for Morrison to return in late September or early October and lead the department until a new chief was found in 2021. The opening for the top spot was created when del Pozo resigned last December after admitting he created an anonymous Twitter account to troll a local critic. The deputy appointed to replace del Pozo, Jan Wright, also stepped down after she was found to have an anonymous account she used to go after critics.
Morrison took over as interim chief in January. She has been assisted by Deputy Chief Jon Murad, who has been serving as acting chief since June and will continue in that role, Weinberger said Monday.
Morrison first joined the Burlington Police Department in 1990 and worked at the department for 23 years before serving as Colchester’s chief from 2013 to 2018. She made clear when she accepted the interim job in Burlington that she would not seek the permanent post.
In her letter to Weinberger, Morrison praised the mayor’s leadership overall, particularly his handling of the coronavirus crisis. She described Weinberger’s leadership as “strong, consistent and the epitome of public caretaking.” She said she appreciated their mutual trust and respect, even when they disagreed.
Morrison’s husband Wayne underwent a stem cell transplant that resulted in “deadly complications” that have stabilized, according to the letter she sent Weinberger. She said the 12-14 hour days after she came on board in January with emails and calls did not make for a “restful and therapeutic household.”
She said her husband’s road to recovery has been “uncertain, prone to dramatic shifts and exhausting.”
But the veteran law enforcement officer said it was the council’s actions that closed the door on her return.
“It would be easy to just walk away by saying that our medical situation does not allow me to return, but that would not be the whole truth,” Morrison wrote. She called it an honor and a duty to help “steady the ship” after the del Pozo and Wright controversies.
In a statement, Weinberger thanked Morrison for stepping in at a “difficult time” for the city last December but didn’t address her remarks about the council except to praise her “candor.”
“I wish her and her family strength and support as they navigate through this challenging personal time,” the mayor wrote. “While I will miss Chief Morrison’s skill, can-do attitude, and her candor, I have great confidence that Chief Murad will continue to successfully lead the department until a permanent chief is named, as he has since June.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Burlington police chief rips City Council ‘mismanagement’ in announcing she won’t return.