(Host) The Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is calling for independent oversight of police activity.
The request comes on the heels of the attorney general’s decision not to take action against Hartford police officers who subdued a man in his own home in May.
Officers responded to a report of an apartment burglary in progress. They used pepper spray and a baton to subdue a suspect, who turned out to be the apartment owner.
Allen Gilbert is the executive director of the ACLU in Vermont.
(Gilbert) "We think when you have an investigation of cops by cops, you don’t get the kind of perception of completeness or fairness that we would like to see in a case like this."
(Host) Gilbert says the ACLU believes that oversight of police should be undertaken by independent bodies – not the attorney general.
He is also calling for police in Vermont to be licensed, like other professionals such as teachers and doctors. Gilbert says this would allow for periodic re-licensure review. He says it would also ensure the public could file complaints.
(Gilbert) "You really need to have effective oversight of government officials. It’s a fundamental part of our democracy and it’s necessary for building and maintaining public confidence in public officials."
(Host) Gilbert has requested that a full report of Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s investigation of the Hartford incident be released to the public.