Burlington, Vermont’s police chief plans to leave his post early next year.
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said Tuesday that Police Chief Jon Murad has decided not to seek reappointment in 2025. She made the announcement after the chief informed staff at the police department about his decision. Murad, who became chief in June 2020, says he will remain on the job through the first part of 2025 as the city begins a search for a new chief.
“I gave a six month window because I believed that was the minimum necessary to ensure a good transition. You know finding a new leader takes a long time and this place deserves a good leader and so I provided that amount of time,” Murad explained. “That said, if opportunities come my way in the meantime, I reserve the right to sort of explore those opportunities.”
In his letter to the mayor Murad said it has been one of the greatest privileges of his life to be the city’s police chief.
“I am deeply grateful to Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak for reappointing me last June. Serving the city of Burlington through the Police Department has been a privilege, and I’m proud of the women and men with whom I work every day. I know more great things are ahead for this storied department,” Murad reads from the prepared statement. “And this is why, during my four-and-a-half years as chief, its preservation and stability has been my main focus. And although I don’t seek reappointment, I’m honored to stay and help facilitate a smooth, safe, and orderly transition as the city conducts a search for the department’s next leader.”
Burlington Business Association Executive Director Kelly Devine says she isn’t surprised that the police chief is leaving, but is glad he plans to stay through a transition.
“Most chiefs have about a four to five year tenure,” notes Devine. ”I know that there have been lots of decisions locally that have impacted the PD. The most recent one was a vote to add additional oversight which the chief indirectly said that he was not supportive of. You know, all that being said, Chief Murad led the city and his police department through some very challenging times and I’m sad to see him go.”
City Council Central District Progressive Melo Grant is chair of the council’s public safety committee and has served on the police commission. A frequent and outspoken critic of Chief Murad, she is relieved to hear he will depart.
“I was concerned about unnecessary use of force incidents. I was concerned about a lack of empathy, about the continued lack of adequate community engagement to help repair relationships within the community. I was concerned about no plan to deal with a drug crisis that I saw ballooning exponentially,” Grant says. “I felt very strongly that every day that he continued to be the chief of that department was another day that we were farther away from fixing things.”
Chief Jon Murad will leave his post on or before April 7, 2025.
