After three years as acting police chief, Jon Murad was finally bestowed the title of Burlington’s top cop following a city council debate on Monday that felt at times like a foregone conclusion.

Murad was appointed by an 8-4 vote after an hourlong discussion. The council’s two independents — Mark Barlow (North District) and Ali Dieng (Ward 7) — joined the six Democrats in voting yes, while all four Progressive councilors voted no. Dieng had previously pledged to oppose Murad’s confirmation.

Murad’s appointment is a big win for Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, who tried and failed last year to install Murad as permanent chief after Progressives blocked him with a 6-6 vote. But the Progs have since lost two seats, giving the Democrats — with support from Barlow — a functional majority.



The Dems barely had to flex their newfound muscle on Monday. Progressives seemed resigned to the vote’s outcome, with one councilor, Joe Magee (P-Ward 3) not bothering to elaborate on why he'd vote no. Democrats, meantime, sung Murad’s praises and applauded him for sticking around through the most challenging time in Burlington police history.

Murad thanked both supporters and detractors in brief comments before the council vote.

“I hear and appreciate the support, but I hear and contemplate the critiques,” he said. “I serve everyone in this city.”
Born and raised in Vermont, Murad is Burlington’s first permanent police chief since 2019, when former chief Brandon del Pozo resigned amid a social media scandal. Murad was named acting chief in June 2020, the same month councilors voted to reduce police staffing through attrition.

After that vote, officers left quickly, and Murad became a vocal advocate for the rank-and-file who stayed. He sent out press releases that reminded the public of the department’s staffing woes and carved out time for television interviews with a consistent message: Burlington needed more cops to fight crime, particularly gun violence, which had been on the rise.

Councilors eventually agreed to hire more police officers and approved hiring and retention bonuses to rebuild the ranks. But others have been critical of Murad’s messaging, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, which has accused him and Weinberger of overstating the city’s crime statistics for political gain.
On Monday, Weinberger said Murad had accomplished much even during tumultuous times, including rewriting the department’s use-of-force policy. In a memo to councilors before the meeting, Weinberger said Murad has led “one of the most transparent, progressive municipal police departments in the country.”

The majority of speakers at the meeting’s public forum agreed. Thirteen people voiced support for Murad; half as many urged the council to reject him.

Mark Bouchett, co-owner of Homeport on the Church Street Marketplace, was among Murad’s fans. He praised the chief for hiring unarmed social workers, saying Murad will deliver “the kind of modern policing we can be proud of.”
Democratic councilors said Murad is a proven leader who won over officers that were initially skeptical of him. Councilors Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) and Tim Doherty (D-East District) both argued that failing to appoint Murad would hurt officer recruitment. Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2), however, refuted that point by noting that Murad has started to rebuild the ranks even with his acting chief title.

Bergman and the other Progressive councilors said Murad hasn’t been willing to reform the department. The chief has resisted efforts to bolster civilian oversight of the police and maintains that there's no evidence of racial bias in the department, despite data showing that officers are more likely to use force against Black residents than white people.
The Murad vote came just days after the city agreed to a $750,000 settlement with the Meli brothers, three siblings who filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city in 2019. The case stemmed from an incident in which a former Burlington police sergeant knocked one of the Meli brothers unconscious by shoving him against a wall. The city had previously paid the officer, Jason Bellavance, $300,000 to leave the department after widespread protests.

During public comment, Ward 3 resident Barbie Alsop drew parallels between that incident and one last summer, when a trauma surgeon filed a complaint against Murad for allegedly threatening to arrest him as he treated a gunshot wound victim. The complaint is currently being reviewed by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, the state body that investigates police officer misconduct.

Alsop suggested that Murad isn’t setting a good example for his troops.

“Do you think a chief of police who says, out of one side of his mouth, that deescalation is the way to go and then escalates when he gets on the scene, is who you want to have as your chief of police?” she asked. “If so, be prepared for more Meli brothers.”
Councilor Zoraya Hightower (P-Ward 1) also raised concerns about Murad’s temperament on Monday, saying she asked Weinberger last year — before the council knew about doctor incident — to have the chief undergo training to address concerns that he’d been defensive and unwilling to listen to feedback.

The training was part of an “improvement plan” that Hightower pitched to Weinberger as a condition for her to support Murad as permanent chief last year. The plan also asked Murad to come up with a proposal to address racial disparities. The mayor declined.



“I am truly grateful for your service,” Hightower told Murad on Monday. “However, I cannot support you under this mayor, who also has a lot of work to do on building trust and transparency. I cannot support this without an improvement plan or without robust citizen oversight in place.”
Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District), meantime, expressed unconditional support for Murad, saying the department would be rudderless without him. Murad isn’t perfect, Shannon said, but he’s right for Burlington.

“I am not looking for a perfect diamond,” she said. “I don’t think we can hold out for a perfect diamond.”

After the vote, Murad accepted congratulatory handshakes, including from two Burlington officers who watched the proceedings. The celebration was short-lived: As his supporters lingered in the hallway, Murad and his wife made a swift exit down the city hall steps, walking hand in hand.