The statewide body that investigates police officers for wrongdoing has cleared Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad of misconduct after he allegedly threatened to arrest a trauma surgeon who was treating a gunshot wound victim in summer 2022.

But the Vermont Criminal Justice Council also took Murad to task for his behavior, writing in an October 10 letter that the chief "lost control" at a time when "an agency head needs to be his/her calmest, most collected self."

"The Subcommittee was surprised, and frankly, taken aback that someone of your experience allowed the encounter, while brief in duration, to elevate to a shouting match," Heather Simons, the council's executive director, wrote to Murad.



The council's findings generally aren't public, but Murad sent the letter to Seven Days on Wednesday out of a desire to be transparent, he said. He also shared an email he wrote to staff on Wednesday, in which he acknowledged, "I didn't perform my best that night." He also noted that he's been working with a leadership coach.

"If I'm more intentional and thoughtful about my work I can serve you and our city better," Murad wrote to his staff.
Seven Days first reported the hospital incident in April, after receiving a copy of the surgeon's confidential complaint that he'd filed with the city's civilian-led Police Commission.

The altercation in question stems from a night in August 2022, when a young man was shot by a friend who was in the back seat of his car. The alleged shooter fled the scene, and EMTs transported the victim to the University of Vermont Medical Center emergency room. A Burlington police officer followed, hoping the patient would identify the shooter. The officer refused several requests from the surgeon to leave the patient's room.

Murad, who was then the acting police chief, responded to the hospital and threatened to cuff the surgeon and drag him to jail, according to the doctor's complaint. A medical resident who witnessed the incident corroborated the account in an interview with Seven Days. The Burlington officer who was at the hospital, however, disputed aspects of the surgeon's story.
Murad and Mayor Miro Weinberger subsequently met with the doctor and said the chief apologized to the surgeon. Murad has denied threatening him with arrest.

Weinberger considered the matter settled after that meeting, but the police commission didn't — and sent the complaint to the Criminal Justice Council in October 2022, alleging that Murad had committed "gross professional misconduct." It took a year for the council to review, and eventually reject, the claim.


Meantime, Murad was appointed the city's permanent police chief over objections from some councilors who said his behavior at the hospital disqualified him from the job. Murad has noted that the incident happened during a spate of gun crime, which he called "an incredibly tumultuous time," and that both police and emergency room staff were under stress.

In his email on Wednesday, Murad said the resolution of the complaint shows that the city's police oversight systems are working. Earlier this year, voters resoundingly rejected a measure that would have created a new oversight board. That board would have had the power to discipline cops, including the chief, for misconduct.

"I hope that through transparency, clarity, and collaboration in incidents like this one, we can continue to demonstrate how we are held — and how we hold ourselves — accountable," Murad said.
In a statement, former police commission cochair Stephanie Seguino said she's pleased to know that the criminal justice council agreed Murad's behavior was "unacceptable and egregious." She said she can't comment on why the council cleared him of misconduct.

"What matters is that a professional review of this case resulted in strong rebuke of Chief Murad’s behavior as a leader of BPD, setting a boundary on police conduct in hospitals," Seguino wrote.

City Councilor Melo Grant (P-Central District), who was on the police commission when the surgeon filed the complaint, said she's concerned about the example Murad is setting for his officers.

"His defensiveness, quick to temper, and stubbornness are qualities that do not become a leader and lead to distrust in the community," she said in an emailed statement. "It is regrettable that Mayor Weinberger has not done more to assist Chief Murad in this area."

Samantha Sheehan, Weinberger's spokesperson, said in an email that the mayor asked Murad to "engage in professional development" after the incident and the chief has "continued to do [so] consistently and wholeheartedly."



Murad declined to share the name of his leadership coach, saying such "relationships are built on confidentiality." But he said the person is certified by the nonprofit International Coaching Federation and has worked in Vermont for more than a decade.

The surgeon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.