Vergennes gets a new police chief

The promotion of Interim Vergennes Police Chief Jason Ouellette to the permanent head of the city police department became official on Tuesday.

With an overall collaborative tone, city councilors and citizens last week discussed whether a civilian committee should field complaints — if they occur — about the city police force.

The Vergennes City Council has reviewed City Manager Ron Redmond’s first draft of how a community panel to work with city officials on Vergennes Police Department operations could operate.

Jason Ouellette, who has a  track record that includes being named the 2022 Vermont American Legion Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, will take over when Police Chief George Merkel’s retirement becomes official on Oct. 31. 

Vergennes Councilors thanked retiring Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel for his 13 years of “dedicated service” to the city.

The Vergennes City Council has agreed to schedule a community-wide meeting to allow the city’s Citizen Review Board Exploratory Committee to present its study. 

Around 90 people heard former Vermont State Police Col. Jim Baker outline the findings of a lengthy study of the city’s police force on Sept. 22.

After almost a year since the International Association of Chiefs of Police began working on it, the $30,000 “Vergennes Police Department Staffing and Workload Report” commissioned by the Vergennes City Council is complete.

Most — but not all — of the more than 100 local residents who attended Tuesday’s Vergennes City Council meeting came to support Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel and ask city officials to work things out with Merkel and ask him not to retire. 

The Vergennes City Council late last summer agreed to spend $30,000 to hire the International Association of Chiefs of Police, or IACP, to conduct a study of the Vergennes Police Department’s staffing levels, work and policy planning, efficiency, training … (read more)

After a six-month study of the force, the International Association of Chiefs of Police praise the professionalism and training of the Vergennes Police Department, City Manager Ron Redmond told the city council on Tuesday. But the organization also recomm … (read more)

The Vergennes City Council at its Tuesday, March 22, meeting formally accepted the 70-plus page report from the Citizen Review Board Exploratory Committee, but members said they needed more information before they act on its recommendation to create a vol … (read more)

The International Association of Chiefs of Police analysis of the Vergennes Police Department is entering a new phase, one that actively seeks feedback about the operations of the department from those who live or work in the city.

The Vergennes City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 25, accepted the final draft of a committee report that recommends some form of civilian oversight of the Vergennes Police Department, but said councilors would not immediately consider its contents.

Thanks to Turning Point Center of Addison County, Vergennes Police Department officers this week have new tools at their disposal that can help citizens in need — two iPads.