By STEVEN JUPITER
PITTSFORD—Christopher Brickell’s career in Vermont law enforcement has taken him from Manchester to Brandon and now to Pittsford, where Governor Scott just appointed him Executive Director of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council (VCJC), which oversees the Vermont Police Academy.
Brickell had been working as the Deputy Director and then interim Executive Director of VCJC, after the departure of VCJC Executive Director Heather Simons in June. Before he arrived at VCJC in 2022, he had been Chief of Police in Brandon from 2004 until 2022 and an officer in the Manchester Police Department from 1985 to 2004.
Mr. Brickell welcomed The Reporter for a conversation in his office in the old Vermont Sanatorium on Furnace Road, which became the Vermont Police Academy in 1971. Here, VCJC trains and certifies police officers from all over Vermont. VCJC is also responsible for maintaining professional standards for Vermont’s law enforcement, evaluating complaints of police misconduct.
And even after 40 years in the profession, Brickell still enjoys his work.
“Law enforcement is an exciting profession,” said Brickell. “And it’s been good to me. You make an impact on people’s lives. Working at VCJC is a way to keep the profession moving forward.”
Brickell left his position in Brandon simply because he felt it was time for someone to bring a new perspective to the town.
“There comes a point when a community needs fresh eyes,” he said. “I was fortunate to always have community support in Brandon.”
The Deputy Director position at VCJC allowed Brickell to remain in the area—he still lives in Brandon with his wife, Tricia—and to use his decades of experience to keep moving the profession forward.
The past several years, since COVID and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, have been tough for law enforcement around the country, with many departments struggling to recruit and retain officers. It’s an issue that Vermont is grappling with as well.
“There were three main factors that helped create this shortage,” said Brickell. “One was COVID. Another was the perception of law enforcement after George Floyd. And another was the retirement of a lot of older officers right around the same time.”
During the height of the BLM protests, there were calls for police reform in Vermont, though Brickell doesn’t see the behavior that triggered those protests in more populous areas as prevalent in Vermont.
“There was a period of time in Vermont when law enforcement wasn’t viewed favorably,” said Brickell. “It was legitimate questioning, but it was a national situation that doesn’t normally happen in Vermont. Law enforcement here was already very transparent, with body cameras, but it wasn’t enough.”
Vermont’s largest municipal police force, the Burlington Police Department, has had widely publicized problems maintaining adequate staffing, and the city’s reputation as safe has taken a hit as a result. Drugs and violent crimes, even murder, seem to be on the upswing there.
But recruiting new officers is tough. Brickell said that departments around the state are using every tool at their disposal to attract prospects, with many offering signing bonuses as a way to help new recruits in Vermont’s notoriously tight housing market.
And VCJC has been trying to widen the path to police certification as well. For the last three years, the enrollment cap on classes at the academy had been lifted to allow more officers to pass through the program. But VCJC, with its staff of just 12, discovered that the cap made practical sense when class size ballooned from 44 to 66, creating major logistical problems.
“It was unmanageable,” said Brickell. “We couldn’t accommodate so many students simultaneously. We’re going back to the cap in February. It became a safety issue.”
VCJC’s Board of Directors also eliminated the written entrance exam for the Academy, arguing that it created unfair barriers.
“All the other requirements are still in place,” said Brickell. The Academy has even begun a fitness program with both mental and physical components to help its recruits get into the condition the profession will require.
VCJC is also exploring alternative routes to certification, since leaving home for a 16-week course at the Academy is often a deterrent to recruitment. An idea that’s been considered is a program that can be completed as part of a college or university degree. Brickell notes that Champlain College in Burlington once had such a program, but no such program currently exists.
Brickell sees the need for a wider net but doesn’t want to compromise recruitment standards.
“Are we keeping people out of the profession? Or should people be committed to doing what it takes to become a police officer? There has to be a middle ground.”
In addition to the training that recruits receive in shooting, driving, and other practical aspects of policing, they also receive training in professional conduct.
“When officers come for training, it’s a fairly disciplined model,” noted Brickell. “They’re taught moral codes, standards, and ethics. We’re very deliberate in how we teach use of force and when it’s appropriate.”
When officers violate their communities’ standards, however, it’s VCJC that evaluates complaints and determines whether to sanction the officers. Sanctions range from verbal warnings to permanent decertification. According to Brickell, VCJC is currently investigating 15 complaints of police misconduct.
On January 1, a new statewide code of conduct will go into effect to bring all Vermont police agencies under a single set of professional standards. VCJC asked Montpelier for the change last year, because there had been a patchwork of policies across the state, according to Brickell. Conduct that was permissible in one agency’s jurisdiction may have been impermissible in another. Having a uniform code of conduct will make it easier for departments to work together and also for civilians to know their rights no matter where they travel within Vermont.
“Every law enforcement agency in Vermont should be held to the same standard,” said Brickell.
Brickell sees a change in law enforcement’s culture as one of his profession’s biggest successes. The emphasis on recruitment and helping strong candidates get through the program has fostered a strong sense of community.
“There’s been a large shift in the mentality,” he said. “If you ever attend a graduation here, you’ll hear a lot about a ‘guardian’ mentality. Years ago, you might have heard more about a ‘warrior’ mentality. Our officers are being trained to provide the service that their communities want.”
“VCJC is an exciting everyday challenge,” said Brickell. “Training, equipment, classes. Our staff of 12 serves the entire state of Vermont. We’re making sure we keep things moving forward.”
