City police report to offer staffing recommendations

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 recommends changes in its operation for city officials to consider.

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.

VERGENNES — Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel — along with a dozen area nonprofits and state agencies — is working on bringing to northern Addison County a collaborative effort among social services and police that Merkel and others believe will better … (read more)

VERGENNES — Raymond William White, 34, of Vergennes was arraigned on Monday afternoon in Addison Superior Court’s Criminal Division and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting a man on Sunday morning at his First Stre … (read more)

VERGENNES — Vergennes municipal officials are seeking to repopulate the Citizen Review Board Exploratory Committee that is studying whether the city council should create a permanent citizen committee to help oversee the Vergennes Police Department. The c … (read more)

MONTPELIER — Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan on Friday announced his office had cleared Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel of allegations of that he had fraudulently reported overtimes. The investigation was begun by Addison County Sheriff Peter N … (read more)

On behalf of the Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police and the Vermont Police Association, I express both outrage and sadness surrounding the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. The actions of one maligned officer with his unwarranted use o … (read more)

VERGENNES — The eight officers of the Vergennes Police Department on Thursday afternoon voted to form a union, doing so by affiliating with the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA), a union that represents many law enforcement agencies in New … (read more)

VERGENNES — The officers of the Vergennes Police Department have voted to unionize by affiliating with the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA), a union that represents many law enforcement agencies in New England, including in Vermont. The p … (read more)