Title 20, Title 20: Internal Security and Public Safety

§ 2355. Council powers and duties (a) The Council shall adopt rules with respect to: (1) the approval, or revocation thereof, of law enforcement officer training schools and off-site training programs, which shall include rules to identify and implement alternate routes to certif…

§ 2357. Powers and duties of the Executive Director The Executive Director of the Council, on behalf of the Council, shall have the following powers and duties, subject to the supervision of the Council and to be exercised only in accordance with rules adopted under this chapter:…

§ 2358. Minimum training standards; definitions (a) Unless waived by the Council under standards adopted by rule, and notwithstanding any statute or charter to the contrary, no person shall exercise law enforcement authority as a law enforcement officer without completing a basic…

§ 2359. Council services contingent on agency compliance (a) On and after January 1, 2022, a law enforcement agency shall be prohibited from having its law enforcement applicants or officers trained by the Police Academy or from otherwise using the services of the Council if the …

§ 2361. Additional training (a) Nothing in this chapter prohibits any law enforcement agency from providing additional training beyond basic training to its personnel where no certification is requested of or required by the Council or its Executive Director. (b) The executive of…

§ 2362. Reports (a) Within ten business days: (1) Elected constables. A town, village, or city clerk shall notify the Council, on a form provided by the Council, of the election, appointment to fill a vacancy under 24 V.S.A. § 963, expiration of term, or reelection of any constab…

§ 2362a. Potential hiring agency; duty to contact current or former agencies (a)(1) Prior to hiring a law enforcement officer, the executive officer of a potential hiring law enforcement agency shall: (A) require that officer to execute a written waiver that explicitly authorizes…

§ 2364. State Police, basic training Basic training programs for Vermont State Police officers, including curriculum, location, duration, and selection of instructors and other personnel, shall be developed and conducted by the Commissioner of Public Safety and submitted to the C…

§ 2365. Domestic violence training; Domestic Violence Involving Law Enforcement Model Policy (a) In order to remain certified, law enforcement officers shall receive by 2011 at least eight hours of domestic violence training in a program approved by the Vermont Criminal Justice C…

§ 2365a. Search and rescue training A person shall receive search and rescue training approved by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council and the Vermont Search and Rescue Council as part of basic training in order to become certified as a law enforcement officer. (Added 2013, No. 2…

§ 2365b. Animal cruelty response training (a) As part of basic training in order to become certified as a Level II and Level III law enforcement officer, a person shall receive a training module on animal cruelty investigations as developed and approved by the Animal Cruelty Inve…

§ 2366. Law enforcement agencies; fair and impartial policing policy; race data collection (a)(1) On or before March 1, 2018, every State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency and every constable who exercises law enforcement authority pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 1936a and wh…

§ 2367. Statewide policy; electronic control devices; reporting (a) As used in this section: (1) “Electronic control device” means a device primarily designed to disrupt an individual’s central nervous system by means of deploying electrical energy sufficient to cause uncontrolle…

§ 2368. Standards for law enforcement use of force (a) Definitions. As used in this section: (1) “Chokehold” means the use of any maneuver on a person that employs a lateral vascular neck restraint, carotid restraint, or other action that applies any pressure to the throat, windp…

§ 2369. Statewide policy; required use of body camera policy (a)(1) On and after January 1, 2022, each law enforcement agency that authorizes its law enforcement officers to use body cameras shall adopt, follow, and enforce a model body camera policy established by the Council, a…

§ 2370. Record of case disposition Each law enforcement agency shall maintain a record of all final judgments and settlements paid by the law enforcement agency for court claims related to alleged violations of constitutional rights established under the Constitution of the State…

§ 2371. Statewide policy; Law Enforcement Officers’ Code of Conduct (a) Creation and modification of Code. The Council shall create, implement, and modify by rule a statewide policy known as the Law Enforcement Officers’ Code of Conduct or Code. This Code effectuates the principl…

§ 2372. Statewide model policy; use of sealed criminal history records by law enforcement agencies (a) As used in this section: (1) “Criminal history records” has the same meaning as in section 2056a of this title. (2) “Criminal justice purposes” has the same meaning as in sectio…

§ 2401. Definitions As used in this subchapter: (1) “Category A conduct” means: (A) a felony. (B) a misdemeanor that is committed while on duty and did not involve the legitimate performance of duty. (C) any of the following misdemeanors, if committed off duty: (i) simple assault…

§ 2402. Law enforcement agencies; duty to adopt an effective internal affairs program (a) Each law enforcement agency shall adopt an effective internal affairs program in order to manage complaints regarding the agency’s law enforcement officers. (b) The Council shall create an e…

§ 2403. Law enforcement agencies; duty to report (a)(1) The executive officer of a law enforcement agency or the chair of the agency’s civilian review board shall report to the Council within 10 business days if any of the following occur in regard to a law enforcement officer of…

§ 2404. Investigations (a) Agency investigations of Category A and B conduct. (1)(A) Each law enforcement agency shall conduct a valid investigation of any complaint alleging that a law enforcement officer employed by the agency committed Category A or Category B conduct. An agen…

§ 2405. Council sanction procedure Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, the Council shall conduct its proceedings in accordance with the Vermont Administrative Procedure Act. This includes the ability to summarily suspend the certification of a law enforcement officer…

§ 2406. Permitted Council sanctions (a) Generally. The Council may impose any of the following sanctions on a law enforcement officer’s certification upon its finding that a law enforcement officer committed unprofessional conduct: (1) written warning; (2) suspension, but to run …

§ 2407. Limitation on Council sanctions (a) Offenses of Category A and Category C conduct. After a valid investigation of Category A and Category C conduct made pursuant to section 2404 of this title concludes, the Council may impose a sanction for a first or subsequent offense o…

§ 2408. Invalid investigations Nothing in this subchapter shall prohibit the Council from causing a complaint to be investigated or taking disciplinary action on an officer’s certification if the Council determines that a law enforcement agency’s investigation of the officer’s co…

§ 2409. Accessibility and confidentiality (a) It is the purpose of this section both to protect the reputation of law enforcement officers from public disclosure of unwarranted complaints against them and to fulfill the public’s right to know of any action taken against a law enf…

§ 2411. Council rules The Council may adopt rules to implement the provisions of this subchapter. (Added 2017, No. 56, § 1, eff. July 1, 2018.)