Political Quotes

“next week I will join many Vermonters to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Burlington Police Department, which was established in early 1865 with the appointment of the city's first constable, Luman A. Drew. For the sake of historical perspective: Mr. Drew was chosen for this high post after his service in the pursuit and capture of a group of Confederate cavalrymen who had raided nearby St. Albans, robbing its banks and burning its buildings before fleeing toward Canada. For many months now, Burlington Detective Jeffrey Beerworth has been compiling that bit of history and other stories in his research of the department's history, and his vignettes are both entertaining and informative. They are particularly interesting to me, as I reflect on my work as a prosecutor with law enforcement agencies in Burlington and other communities as State's attorney for Chittenden County earlier in my career. Most importantly, they show us how the role of law enforcement officers has evolved over the years. I imagine that First Constable Drew could not have foreseen police wearing body cameras in 2015, nor would he recognize the challenges that heroin and other drugs pose to our society. Back in his day, First Constable Drew's main concerns were horse theft and public drunkenness.…”