By Kolby LaMarche

The Burlington Police Department released its latest monthly report to the Public Safety Committee this week, detailing staffing levels, incident trends through May, and operational strategies that officials say reflect steady improvement in public safety across the city.

Interim Chief Shawn P. Burke submitted the document dated a couple days ago, just as Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak held a press conference on Church Street, where she declared that “Burlington is back,” citing revitalization efforts, increased downtown activity, and progress on public safety.

The mayor pointed to rebuilding within the police department, construction wrapping up on Main Street, and investments in summer events as reasons more residents and visitors are returning to areas like Church Street Marketplace. 

As of the report, the Burlington Police Department has a total of 96 employees: 58 sworn officers and 37 professional staff. Among the sworn personnel, there are 43 officers and 15 supervisors, resulting in an effective staffing number of 49 after accounting for various assignments.

That configuration leaves just 22 active patrol officers in the Uniformed Service Bureau spread across six shifts, typically resulting in four or five officers covering the city at any given time. 

The department also has seven active patrol supervisors, consisting of two lieutenants and five sergeants.

The report notes one recent retirement. Officer Kris Young completed 20 years of service with the department and celebrated with a hall walk on June 18. 

A new probationary police officer is set to begin 14-week field training on July 3. Beach and Parks Patrol has resumed summer operations after training, with five employees actively working between Church Street Marketplace and the city’s network of parks and paths.

The department continues to use Community Service Officers and Community Support Liaisons as primary responders for many lower-risk calls, based on expertise and risk level. 

Sworn officers remain the main responders for the majority of incidents. Officials describe the co-responder model as one of the department’s most successful strategies, improving safety and addressing underlying causes more effectively.

Total incidents were 30,884 in 2023, 29,799 in 2024, 34,837 in 2025, and are projected at approximately 11,409 for 2026 — a substantial reduction from recent years.

Monthly patrol incidents, including both foot and directed patrols, are trending lower in 2026 than the peaks seen in 2025. 

Foot patrols tend to be longer-duration efforts focused on City Hall Park and Church Street Marketplace, while directed patrols are shorter and target hot spots identified through call data and public complaints.

Top call types for sworn officers over the past 12 months include suspicious events, foot patrols, directed patrols, trespass, traffic, alarms, disturbances, and welfare checks. Community Service Officers handled high volumes of directed patrols, foot patrols, found or lost property, animal problems, ordinance violations, and noise complaints. 

Community Support Liaisons focused on public assists, foot patrols, welfare checks, encampment outreach, and service coordination.

Violent incidents, including homicides, attempted homicides, robberies, reckless endangerment, and assaults, show relative stability or modest declines in 2026 compared to prior peaks.

Charts tracking City Hall Park and the surrounding vicinity — defined as the area from Main and St. Paul to Church and College — indicate lower incident levels in 2026 than during 2025 highs, after a lengthy debate on the safety of the area last year. 

Citywide arrests are running lower than 2025 levels. Drug arrests continue month to month with some variation. Tickets and warnings issued by sworn officers and Community Service Officers also fluctuate, with trespass citations remaining prominent.

The top 2 percent of people associated with incidents — 73 individuals — accounted for 18 percent of total incidents, or 1,160 incidents, excluding patrols and outreach. 

Of this group, 60 percent, or 44 people, are identified as homeless based on address data in the Valcour system. Their most frequent incident types include trespass, suspicious events, ordinance violations, mental health issues, arrests on warrant, disturbances, and domestic disturbances.

Interim Chief Burke noted that the data, combined with positive changes seen throughout the community, demonstrate the commitment of department personnel. 

He also noted that while significant work remains, the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of public safety services in Burlington have improved dramatically over the past year.

Despite some gains in certain areas of crime, the city continues to face a homelessness crisis – albeit one that city departments have put a large focus on. This, coupled with incidents of crime, is also continuing to fuel negative perceptions about downtown. In her press conference earlier this week, Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak sought to quash these feelings, arguing the city is more than safe for families to visit this summer.