This “backstory” is a part of a collection of articles that describes some of the obstacles that Seven Days reporters faced while pursuing Vermont news, events and people in 2019.
I was nervous when I called Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo in July for a story about social media abuse. So nervous, I went out to my car, where it was quiet, to conduct the phone interview in which I had to ask him whether he had set up a fake Twitter account in order to troll a local citizen. Charles Winkleman, a regular critic of the chief and his department, alleged that the chief was behind the short-lived @WinkleWatchers account and had some convincing evidence to prove it.
It’s hard enough to confront an authority figure with such a pointed accusation. And, after only three months on the job, I had not yet developed a working relationship with del Pozo. Still, I managed to pose the question, and he said “No, nope” before I’d even finished asking it. That seemed a little suspicious to me. So I rephrased and inquired again in several different ways, with the digital recorder running. There was no misunderstanding what I was asking. Del Pozo spent five minutes denying that he had anything to do with the online harassment of Winkleman.
Six months later, the same question — this time, directed to Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger — broke open this story. I had requested an interview with him about the city’s social media policy, including fresh allegations from Winkleman about the chief. Weinberger agreed and, in the course of our conversation, admitted that del Pozo had in fact been the anonymous creator of @WinkleWatchers.
I exposed del Pozo’s subterfuge and bolstered it with the audio recording that captured him lying repeatedly. Days later, the chief resigned. Then the scandal went deeper: del Pozo’s replacement, Jan Wright, lasted just hours as acting chief after she, too, admitted to operating an anonymous social media account.
Proof that the hardest question to pose is almost always the one that needs asking.
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This article appears in Dec 25, 2019 – Jan 7, 2020.
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Slow news day? Milking this story for as long as you can!
Sorry is the major ongoing corruption of our local police boring you? This happened less than 2 weeks ago.
“major ongoing corruption of our local police”
Oh for goodness sake.
Only in the self-absorbed, politically-correct, police-hating, mini-drama-loving City of Burkenstock, Vermont could some social media foolishness by two members of the police department be called “major ongoing corruption.” This isn’t Abscam. Nobody’s selling drugs out of the police station. Nobody’s shaking down drug dealers or hookers for cash. Nobody got paid off to keep quiet about the location of dead bodies. Nobody’s getting free donuts at Dunkin’s. Nobody bribed any judges. There are no paper bags full of cash. Instead, two police officials did something stupid in response to an online crank. They confessed to it, apologized, and were disciplined. And the chief is already gone. The conduct at issue may or may not even qualify as “corruption” as that word is defined (bribery). But it is not “major” and there’s no evidence that it is “ongoing.”
Self absorbed does describe the our local police well. Maybe you had a brain injury lately that made you not understand the meaning of corruption. Typically doesn’t mean only. Here is the definition to remind you. What does an oath to protect and serve mean to you?
cor·rup·tion
1.
dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
“the journalist who wants to expose corruption in high places”
*Major Ongoing Corruption* must have graduated from West Point with Major Gross Overstatement.
It’s been exposed. The chief is gone. How about moving forward and finding some new news.
“Burlington mayor names 4th police chief in a week” Dec 20, 2019 WCAX
Im sure it all ends there : nothing ongoing nothing major?
You point to a carelessly-written WCAX headline to defend your statement of “major ongoing corruption” at the Burlington Police Department? You do understand that the Mayor never “named 4 police chiefs” in a week, right?
Next up: “Unknown officer in BPD locker room keeps changing TV channel back to Oprah! Remote now missing! Major ongoing corruption alleged at BPD!”
“Scandal-plagued Vermont city names 3 new police chiefs in 1 week” ABC December 22, 2019
This headline sounds much better, obviously nothing wrong.
Always a good sign to have to look nationally because they cant find a single good person on the force.
Jan Wright, Jennifer Morrison, Brandon del Pozo, and a permanent nationally sourced chief is being looked for.
1…2…3…4 counting is hard…. must be the brain injury
1. The number 3 is accurate. The phrase *scandal plagued* is 100% opinion. And wrong. It has no business being in a headline.
2. Burlington has done national searches for its police chief for years. Or didnt you know that? Maybe you havent actually lived here very long? If Burlington didnt do a national search for its police chiefs you police haters would be the first to cry foul. Cant have it both ways.
*Major ongoing corruption = snowflake falsehood.
1. Doesn’t seem like a national search was originally the first choice does it?
8. So it is normal to appoint 3 in a week too.
125. I would like it one way, for the police to do their job as the oath describes.
1036. seems like you cant take any sort of criticism even in the wake of clear misconduct
1. Wright was clearly appointed as *acting.* Are you saying that there should have been a national search for an *acting* chief? Are you saying that we shouldn’t have had a chief in place until we found a national replacement for Del Pozo? Is there anything you won’t say?
8. No, it is obviously not normal to appoint 3 acting chiefs in 3 weeks. Did I say that? Who said that? Nobody. But 3 acting chiefs doesn’t prove that the episode of social media foolishness is *major ongoing corruption,* Captain Exaggeration.
125. Everyone wants the police to do their jobs. That doesn’t prove that the social media foolishness was “major ongoing corruption,* Captain Exaggeration.
1036. I am fine with criticism. Apparently you are not. I objected to your characterization of an episode of social media foolishness as *major ongoing corruption* in the BPD. You’ve posted 5 defensive, factually-questionable posts in response.
2000. Please run for chief to end the *major ongoing corruption.* You can clean house on social media use, stealing paper clips, making personal calls on city time, etc. Oh, wait, you can’t clean house on social media use cuz the chief is already gone.
Captain Downplay says don’t let the door hit them on there lying, incompetent behinds. The contagions concussion seems to have got them in a softened them up. Lets hope they can find home with all the brain injury.
“cop hating, snowflake” cant take all these fact based arguments. Now call more people names while you take criticism so well….
7 posts and you haven’t explained how the episode of social media foolishness is either *corruption,* *major,* or *ongoing.* The more you post the less sense you make. Keep going.
Here is a little lesson for Captain Brain Damage.
ongoing Definition “continuing; still in progress”
they still have not found a reliable replacement for your buddy Chief Brain Damage.
corruption Definition “dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power”
Chief Brain Damage lied to the public about his misconduct. For example.
“On Tape: Burlington Police Chief Lied Repeatedly About Twitter Account in July Call ” sevendaysvt
major Definition “important, serious, or significant.”
For example encase you already forgot.
“Scandal-plagued Vermont city names 3 new police chiefs in 1 week” ABC December 22, 2019
Would you care to explain how what happened was not major, was not corruption and is not ongoing?
So this is what counts as business as usual for Vermont police?
Care to sight any facts?
For someone from Vermont you sure cant handle a snow flake, get ready for January!
No matter what you write, you’ll attract the heavy-weight skeptic of online Seven Days, the bully of the block, the permanently outraged “Knowyourassumptions.” Somehow, you’ll offend him. (Wonder who he is?)
The fellow who said, “I am fine with criticism.” That guy.
“encase you forgot”? I assume you mean “in case”?
“sight any facts”? I assume you mean “cite”?
“Chief Brain Damage”? Your mother will be so proud of you for making fun of people who have suffered concussions and traumatic brain injuries.
How dare you call out my spelling I am having a really hard time right now! Didn’t you hear I was in a bike accident?!
By the way the police misconduct had nothing to do with a concussion. That was just another lie by your Chief Brain Damage. If you think this had anything actually do with a brain injury you make want to get to Know Your many Assumptions.
Some reading for you “Public safety head calls Burlington police chiefs pressure completely inappropriate” Apr 18 2019 Vtdigger
Defiantly not scandal plagued. They almost went a couple of months before creating another one.
Sorry to upset your amazing command of the English language. How can I compete with the genius who crafted this sentence?
“The conduct at issue may or may not even qualify as “corruption” as that word is defined (bribery).” knowyourassumptions
Can I give you the definition again? corruption = “dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power”
By the way would you like to cite anything at all factual?……… Now that you know what I was asking.
And you call me a snowflake the department created troll accounts to harass the public they are supposed to serve because a little criticism. I have never seen adults melt so fast.
I may need some paid leave if my spelling doesn’t improve.
These gems of incoherency are just from your last unreadable post alone:
“anything actually do”
“you make want to get”
“Defiantly not scandal”
“call me a snowflake the department”
“serve because a little criticism”
With each new police-hating screed you seem to be unraveling more and more. You shouldn’t be making fun of people who have suffered brain injuries.
Hey @billy and @knowyourassumptions: Knock it off. Final warning. Please comment on the story, not each other’s posts.
This seems to sum up the the story well.
“audio recording that captured him lying repeatedly. Days later, the chief resigned. Then the scandal went deeper: del Pozo’s replacement, Jan Wright, lasted just hours as acting chief after she, too, admitted to operating an anonymous social media account. “
It seems like a trend with police lately.
“Kansas officer resigned after he ‘fabricated’ McDonald’s coffee cup with ‘F—–g pig’ on it: police chief” foxnews.com 12/31/19
Seems like there is something to gain for the police by framing the public as “police haters”.
It almost seems like a lack of character and oversight in the corrections system is causing problems.
“West Virginia governor approves firing of all employees involved in apparent Nazi salute photo” foxnews.com 12/30/19
It is an interesting story with lots to talk about. It seems to be connected to daily headlines around the country. Anyone care to talk about it? I am happy to.
Hello Billy,
[For whatever reason, my mailbox got your comment as Just the first line and the last line. But I went to the link and found your whole comment.]
You say it sums up a story? I see quotes and implications – do you feel there is an organized movement to discredit criticism of the police? Or in our city here, it could also be discrediting criticism of the city government. Or it could be a series of disconnected events which have been made news.
All I can say is – have you got a cohesive statement we can reply to? An interesting story, as you say?
[I agree there is a bit of…backfield in motion.]
I would suspect the seeming increase in stories like this one are because the police are being recorded more by phone cameras and body cameras. Now they cant just collect the evidence they would like to collect. The cup name story I feel wouldn’t have made the news if he hadn’t taken the picture of the cup to push his narrative.
I don’t think this story above would have had the impact if there wasn’t digital a log of his troll account and a recording of him lying.
I fear this conduct is nothing new. The awareness of police actions and policies is only growing. That knowledge isn’t left only to the powerless anymore.
Rodney King was the main populations introduction. There are lots more eyes now.
I think police are not used to having to answer for there actions outside the corrections system. I think they see it as an attack on them personally rather than a culture that needs to change.
I hope articles like this one will keep people non-complacent.