To the men and women of the Burlington Police Department,
Happy Fourth of July. To those of you who worked tonight, on the detail, in dispatch, on the shift: thank you. I was proud to be out there with all of you. We were at less than half strength, but you all did what we had to do, and you did it well. Thank you for that, too. And finally, an especially deep thank you to Lieutenant Nguyen and Sergeant Delgado, who put in *tremendous* amounts of work developing our ops plan and making the most of smaller-than-normal resources.
For my part, it was a good night. I walked through crowds, on the waterfront and at North Beach—thinner crowds than normal, it’s true, but large groups of our neighbors nonetheless—and I heard only gratitude and appreciation. In many ways, it felt like days past, days that have sometimes seemed gone for good: families smiling at us, respectful nods from people waiting for the fireworks to start, thank yous from passerby and even drivers stuck in traffic, little kids asking for stickers. Those days are NOT gone for good, and those people are still out there, they’re still supportive, they still need you.
This holiday is a reminder that the nation we live in is different than any that came before. It’s different than any other, period. What makes it different aren’t just the rights we cherish, nor the freedoms we’re guaranteed. It’s the idea that we care for one another because we all have value. The “more perfect union” in our Constitution isn’t merely a union of states, it’s a union of people. And that union is impossible without justice, and domestic tranquility, and general welfare. In degrees great and small, those things are underpinned by police and public safety. Never doubt that what you do matters, or that your work counts.
Be safe,
Acting Chief of Police Jon Murad
Burlington Police Department
One North Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401