Michael Fitzgerald

Police as guardians, not warriors

‘The recent tragedy in Minneapolis is being played out far too often across our nation’

I, like many of you, am angered and saddened over the events surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

Law enforcement officers represent their community. In order for any law enforcement agency to be successful, it is critical for the community to trust their police officers and the police officers to trust their community.

Many departments struggle with the question, “How does law enforcement build trust with their community in an atmosphere of systemic racism?” We have struggled with that question and still do.

To compound the problem, law enforcement as a whole is judged on the extreme failures of particular departments. The actions of malicious officers, along with an attitude of indifference of other officers in their blatant disregard towards human life, has left me stunned.

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‘A model for the rest of the country to emulate’

The conduct of those demonstrating in Brattleboro drew people to the Black Lives Matter cause, not away

A culture of mistrust toward law enforcement exists in our country. Recent events have catapulted that mistrust to levels that exceed those of recent memory. Police interactions with citizens have been called into question, resulting in anger, disbelief, and frustration. These feelings have manifested themselves into protests, rallies, and...

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Policing a community involves a community

The new chief offers his thoughts, goals, and vision for the Brattleboro Police Department

I have been approached numerous times and asked about my philosophy on policing and the direction I will lead the Brattleboro Police Department, so will take this opportunity to express my thoughts on our role within this community. I am a very strong advocate of community-involved policing - a...

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