Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo created an anonymous Twitter account to taunt a police critic, he admitted to Seven Days on Thursday evening.
The account, @WinkleWatchers, has since been deleted. Del Pozo created the profile to mock Charles Winkleman, a Burlington resident, political activist and known provocateur who regularly takes aim online at the chief, landlords and others in power.
Del Pozo lied when Seven Days asked him about the burner account in July, saying he had nothing to do with it. But days later, del Pozo confessed what he had done to Mayor Miro Weinberger. He took six weeks of medical leave to seek mental health treatment, the mayor said. The chief has been back on duty since mid-September.
“I was disappointed in what I did,” del Pozo told a reporter Thursday, speaking softly in a somber tone. “It was a mistake, and I regret it, and I’m sorry.”
“Holy shit,” said Winkleman, when told about the chief’s admission. “Oh my God. Wow.”
“I’m amazed that they would even admit it,” he said. “But for me it comes down to: What’s going to change? What’s the accountability like?”
Del Pozo created the account on July 4 while he was off duty, he said. Using his personal cellphone, he sent out a litany of tweets mocking Winkleman’s views. The avatar for the account was a cropped photo of Winkleman wearing a Groucho Marx-style mustache, previously published in connection with his performance at the 2013 Green Mountain Comedy Festival.
“The #ChickyTroll is a cowardly creature hiding behind an electron curtain,” WinkleWatchers wrote in one tweet. “Chicky” is a nickname of Winkleman’s. “We’ve been blocked, but he will surely continue to insult, debase, have faux indignation, harass, and in sum: TROLL.”
Winkleman contacted Seven Days soon after with his suspicion that del Pozo was behind the profile. This reporter asked del Pozo about the allegation on July 23. He denied having any “sock puppet accounts.”
“The answer’s categorically no,” the chief said. “If I had anything to say, I would say it directly.”
On July 28, del Pozo went to Weinberger’s home to admit to his boss that he’d created and run the account, both men said. Weinberger placed the chief on paid administrative leave, stripped del Pozo of his gun, badge and cellphone, and ordered him to stay off social media.
A subsequent internal investigation by city attorney Eileen Blackwood and Human Resources director Deanna Paluba “very quickly … turned up a number of things,” Weinberger said, including a finding that del Pozo’s actions were “linked to an underlying medical condition.”
“From that point on,” Weinberger said, “this was treated as a verified medical situation.”
The mayor’s chief of staff, Jordan Redell, announced on August 2 that del Pozo had taken a “Family and Medical Leave of Absence.” Del Pozo returned to duty on September 15 after his personal doctor and the city’s independent medical examiner both cleared him, Weinberger said.
On Monday, Winkleman published a lengthy account of why he believed the chief was behind WinkleWatchers on his site, charleswinkleman.com, under the headline “Chief Brandon del Pozo Bullies Critics into Silence.”
Seven Days reached out to del Pozo Tuesday about Winkleman’s public allegation. A deputy chief called the paper on Wednesday to say the chief would be available to talk in person at the One North Avenue police headquarters at 5 p.m. Thursday.
During the interview, del Pozo refused to name his specific diagnosis, but he said he suffered a brain injury in his June 2018 near-fatal bike accident in the Adirondacks. He also alluded to stressful “challenges” this spring and summer, when his department was under intense scrutiny for use of force.
“It resulted in a lapse of judgment where I made a mistake that I regret,” del Pozo said. “I responded to negativity with negativity in a way that doesn’t become a chief of police.”
His social media presence has led to criticism in the past. In July 2017, the chief used his personal Facebook account to take to task an 18-year-old woman who accused officers of wrongdoing on social media.
Weinberger acknowledged the chief’s problematic past social media use. Yet when del Pozo returned from leave, the mayor’s only sanction was to verbally reprimand the chief. He warned him any repeat offense would result in his immediate dismissal. The mayor chose not to pursue harsher discipline because del Pozo regretted his actions and his service has “otherwise been exemplary,” Weinberger said.
“Mental health challenges are serious issues among public safety personnel,” Weinberger added. “We have a duty to be compassionate about them.”
Winkleman was critical of the administration for not going public sooner and said the chief has never shown he can accept criticism.
He said: “If you regretted it, why didn’t you apologize to me?”
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Wow. This is incredibly concerning behavior on the part of a public official. #StuffNarcissistsSay
What a douche. Not surprising, though.
They refuse to name the “verified medical medical indication”.
I call Bullsh!t. Medical condition my ass.
And I note that del Pozo’s “exemplary service” includes lying about this fake account the first time he was asked about it, and intense scrutiny for use of lethal force…. like the cop that fatally punched out a citizen.
That kind of service gets most people fired.
Weinberger is now in this up to his neck too.
Exemplary service. Right.
It was done on personal time, responding to a professional troll. I’ve had friends in other states put under police surveillance or beaten up over stuff like that. Inappropriate? Yes. Responded to appropriately by his superiors? Yes. 6 weeks is the time frame for cognitive behavioral therapy at the hospital; that he sought treatment for his mental health is as it ought to be. Let’s not stigmatize it any further.
Interesting to see how many people will post here under anonymous names while bashing someone for doing the same.
Chief del Poso harassed me through private messages to my business account years before his supposed brain injury. Where’s the city council in this? Has anyone asked him to resign?
And what about the mental health the folks in the homeless camps you just purged?
Maybe the chief had or has a medical condition that causes him to engage in behaviors that we should not condone in our public officials. This includes lying. More of an explanation is in order before we can be reasonably assured that the department is in good hands.
On the other hand, the verdict is clearly in on the mayor. This is just another example of his deliberate efforts to conceal the truth from the public.. We can rest assured that anything that might look unfavorable to the mayor will be covered up and/or spun to obscure the truth. After all, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE OPTICS.
P.S. I wonder if the Police Commission knew about this
I am appalled that so many do gooders on here are so upset with a person that has a medical condition. If it was a homeless person it would be leave him alone!
Was what he did wrong………yes! The difference he fessed up to his mistake and sought out help. Good for him and just known Chief you have the support of the majority of city residents.
Lying is not a medical condition
that be’n said.. I’d rather have Burlington’s finest enforcing the law
rather than Coney Island’s finest.
More proof Burlington wasn’t broken, but the elected Mayor certainly is. I guess dodging accountability is what’s taught at the Kennedy School.
A giant hole, an out of control police force, a displaced market, a ruined city park, a war on vulnerable people, and now a police chief anonymously attacking a kid for standing up for tenants rights. I shudder to think what would happen to Vermont if this guy is elected to state-wide office. Do the right thing Miro, hang it up. Go back to the private sector where your damage can be mitigated to just your own clients. It’s not your fault, you drank the Harvard Kool-aid without thinking. We get it. But it’s really time to do the right thing. We’ve had enough.
Great news for the Chief! If he guns down an unarmed suspect he’s got a built-in insanity defense!
Great news for the chief! If he guns down an unarmed suspect he’s got a built-in insanity defense.
Sure, this behavior isn’t wonderful but given the parameter of misconduct among public and private officials, I find it a little over the top to call for Mr. del Pozo’s head. This may be embarrassing behavior, but not criminal or dangerous. Wouldn’t we want to encourage our public officials to come forward and admit mistakes without getting tarred and feathered for any infraction?
It was a mistake; nobody was harmed. I’m much more concerned about the issue of excessive force and militarizing police precisely because every police officer is human and everyone makes mistakes. I’d rather a mistake be made behind a keyboard on FB than with a tank or rocket launcher IRL.
No one was harmed? The whole community was harmed. If the Chief of Police is willing to lie to the public, how can we trust anything he says now? What example does that send to the rest of the force?
We give police a heavy responsibility and entrust them with an important duty; we should hold them to higher standards.
If there is evidence that he has acted similarly before his head injury and subsequent mental health issues, it should be considered grounds for dismissal, particularly because he lied about it. Burlington is becoming a microcosm of the corruption that plagues municipalities and it starts with Wonder Boy Weinberger.
I support police 100% but if u have lapse of judgement like that u shouldn’t be carrying a gun
Mental issue or not, I’m not sure how a chief of police, who is on record as lying to the press and the public, can carry on in their role.
How are the residents of Burlington and anyone who visits their city able to trust what this police chief says?
“From that point on,” Weinberger said, “this was treated as a verified medical situation.”
I thought Weinberger didn’t trust the medical staff or did he get this diagnosis by going through the governor’s office?
Reminds me of Prince Andrew with his excessive sweating condition and Harvey Weinstein’s use of a walker (and a checkbook)
Sorry, medical condition? He is a chief of police. As one who has 40 years of policing experience both doing the job and teaching the job, this is BS. The “medical condition” covers him under the ADA, so they cannot discipline him. Lying when first asked about it too? Lying in policing is a serious matter but he had a “medical condition” so that is okay now? However, if one of his officers had done this, you know that there would be discipline on that officer, up to and including termination. What a sorry excuse for a chief of police. I feel bad for his officers and his community.
I’ve suffered from mental health diagnoses for years. All I would like to say is that IF the chief of police has mental health issues he should NOT be fired however he should NOT be in the same job position he is in now. Demotions would be more fair and safe for our community. And I like this guy.
The libertarian part of me thinks he should be able to say what he wants as longs as it’s on his own time and his own computer.
This Miro administration get more Trumpian as time goes by. The fish rots from the head on down.
This Miro administration reveals itself to be more and more like Obama’s corrupt regime, as time goes by. A complete lack of transparency, outright deception, and excuses, excuses, excuses like the way they are hiding behind this nonsense.
“A subsequent internal investigation “very quickly … turned up a number of things,” Weinberger said, including a finding that del Pozo’s actions were “linked to an underlying medical condition.”
I’m calling BS on the pro-level BS’ers in City Hall. I’m sure the investigation did turn up a number of things, but they’ll just sweep those aside, hide it from the public and continue to obfuscate.
@TedMiles the difference, which shouldn’t have to be explained to anyone older than 10, is that the people on here aren’t the Chief of Police lying to the public.
Doubters be assured: Del Pozo’s implied diagnosis is highly probable. His New York-style vision of gun control in Vermont is yet another example of how he has had horrible judgement and should have a multitude of regrets. Unfortunately, he will not regain any sensibilities in the future.
He should have been immediately fired for lying and harassment by the commission! If he lied before his supposed injury, what’s to say it won’t happen again? It also shows that he’s buddy buddy with Miro.. How many more crooked things will he do? It’s time to fire him and get rid of Miro! Ship them back to New York…
If it’s a crime to have an account in another name then just about 95% of people online would be a criminal. Do I think what the chief did is right? Who am I to judge. The rules on here for 7days says you have to use your real name.. hahaha look at these post, a lot of them aren’t following the rule. I believe that people have a right to express their opinion as long as it’s not hurting or threatening someone. What about the Winklewatch is he a goody2shoes person?? I have no idea, maybe not who knows? Time to move on to more important things like “TAKE BACK VERMONT” and make it Vermont again..
Is it OK now for a Seven Days article to engage in name calling in a news article?
Even if true that Charles Winkleman “regularly takes aim online at the chief, landlords and others in power,” the article disparages him with an epithet “known provocateur.” Which shifts the blame to Winkleman for the illegitimate and underhanded action by the chief of police.
“Ship them back to New York.”
Miro doesn’t come from New York. But don’t let factual accuracy get in your way.
Oops I meant to say send him back as in Del Pozo
I am bipolar. I was hospitalized several times before the doctors were able to find the right mix of meds that has nearly eliminated my extreme manic episodes. When I went to group meetings at the hopsital, I realized that anythng that I did when I was manic was ultimately my responsibility regardless of my mental state. I feel that I should not blame my illness for things that I did. It is my responsibilty to control myself. Luckily, I never did things that would hurt other people. I lost my job because of my illness, rightly so. I did continue to work for a couple years and it was obvious that I couldn’t do it well anymore. I worked with 2 of my friends who are carpenters for the next 16 years until I turned 65. I didn’t make much money but it was something I could do and I enjoyed it. The bottom line is I will take responsiblity for my actions and I will not use my mental illness as excuse for them.
My first two years in college were as a CJT/Psych major. I can definitively say most of the then-current and future LEOs were NOT good people, from the beginning; my instructor for many classes and department head, who formerly worked for Metro-Dade actively encouraged lying, eg, “But who do YOU think a judge and jury are going to believe, you, in your dress blues, or Joe Blow off the streets, in his jeans and sneakers?” Then I interned. I have never wanted to, nor actually worked, for the system, since completing the AAS or later degrees.
So the bottom line is that the Chief of Police is a human being, who made a mistake. Can we show the same compassion we would wish others would give us, if and when we make a mistake?
I wish he had just come clean and said I was ticked off at this Winkleman kid who has been busting my chops for years. I had a few glasses of wine at home one night and made a bad decision to engage with him in an improper manner. Now it looks like hes hiding behind what may or may not be a vague and convenient repercussion from a head injury. If it is indeed true that hes incapable of impulse control then thats not really great. But the lying is troubling for sure.
Wow! I wish MY stress-induced mental health problems got me eight weeks’ vacation and a free pass to be an asshole. Nice work if you can get it.
“Rennaisance Cop” Brandon Del Pozo is in reality Chief Officer Petty McSnowflake.
I just noticed that del Pozo is still on twitter even though Miro supposedly ordered him NOT to use any social media! Who’s lying now??
All of the evidence shows the great need for a better social media policy. We are seeing distorted news daily, and it appears our Chief thinks that he is different and can use social media as a form of free expression. This is what Mark Zuckerman said in hearing on Facebook in front of a wide global audience. Many disagree including the most recent Nobel Peace Laureate and many other men and women of peace. We are seeing the failure of public institutions and hate crimes become more rampant because of social media. Academic studies show that 80% of the problem is because of Facebook. Our Chief clearly needs to go beyond his current thinking that he can manipulate the public with social media as his right. Our Mayor needs to take up this question of false uses of social media as a serious issue. Weinberger just refused to speak to the Burlington Free Press yesterday on this matter after a reporter waited for well over 3 hours. Clearly we have a problem here. Without a paper of record in Burlington, our Mayor apparently feels he need not respond to the press, except via his own channels in his own timing. This needs to be looked at immediately. The time is now to rein in this administration.
From the July 2017 article linked in this story:
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/cop-on…
Del Pozo, too, said he’s learned his lesson. He’ll continue to express himself on his own social media accounts, but he’s done posting on the individual Facebook pages of others.
“It may well have sufficed to put it on my own page or our own Twitter feed,” he conceded.
There has long been speculation of targeted harassment (gang stalking) of activists by police using social media. This may be the tip of the iceberg.
Keystone kops 2.0. How lucky the city’s lawyers discovered his underlying disease. If you get over your underlying disease does that mean you get over lying? Is his condition overlying his police work. Well he’s had a rest now. Hope he’s all better cause we are getting dizzy from this spinning City Hall.