Kerest said the increase in gun violence appears connected to what he sees as a similar increase in drug trafficking. attorney for Vermont, in an interview with VTDigger. “I think it’s, at this point, without debate that there’s more (gunfire) incidents going on in the state and in Chittenden County than we’ve seen historically,” said Nikolas Kerest, the U.S.
Burlington has recorded four shootings this year - as many as the city had in each of the past two years, which were the highest totals recorded since the city switched to its new data collection system in 2012. Police distinguish between gunfire incidents and shootings - the latter signifies someone has been struck. There were only 17 total reports of gunfire from 2012 to 2019. “… I don’t think, as a society, we have things in place that help people to feel very supported and to help keep the community together.”įor Burlington, the spring of 2020 marked a significant upswing in the frequency of gunfire incidents, and the trend has only grown.Īs of Thursday evening, police data show there have been 12 gunfire incidents in Burlington this year - matching the number reported for all of 2020, and just two fewer than the 14 for all of 2021. “There are things that feed into this and one is that, we’re over two years into this pandemic and people are certainly feeling some stress,” said Paul Dragon, executive director of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, in an interview on Tuesday. To the leader of one of the region’s most prominent social service agencies, the increase in gun violence is tied to societal well-being - something that more criminal prosecution won’t improve. “If you recklessly discharge a firearm in Burlington, you are going to be arrested, and you are going to be held accountable,” Weinberger said. The mayor didn’t specify what measures he plans to push for. Additional statewide gun control measures, meanwhile, wouldn’t be taken up until the Legislature reconvened next winter. Standing alongside acting Police Chief Jon Murad and Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, the mayor announced that he intends to pursue gun crimes more stringently, recruit more fully sworn police officers and push for more state laws restricting gun access.īut state and federal prosecutors said they’re already doing the best they can to hold shooters accountable, and the mayor’s push to bolster the police department’s ranks has been going on for months.
Miro weinberger how to#
While there’s broad agreement that the increase in gunfire incidents, as authorities call them, is concerning, voices around the city have different ideas about how to deal with it.Īt a press conference Thursday, Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger spelled out how his administration would respond to the incidents, though his plan offered little in the way of new ideas. The number of times guns were recklessly fired in Burlington this year is on a steep rise, data show, spurring calls for elected officials to take action. Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger addresses public safety concerns regarding recent incidents of gun violence in the city and across the state during a press conference in Burlington on Thursday, June 9.
0 kommentar(er)
