BURLINGTON — City leaders hope a new program aimed at responding to low-level crimes will help increase public safety.
At a City Hall press briefing on Wednesday, Burlington Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak introduced City Circle, a community-based initiative designed to respond more effectively to minor criminal ordinance violations and reduce repeat offenses downtown. The violations could include littering, public possession of alcohol, unlawful trespass, disorderly conduct and unlawful mischief, among others.
People who commit these violations would have the chance to discuss their offense with the community. The program would discourage disruptive behaviors by holding people accountable for their actions.
“The goal is to connect and engage with people and provide them with the support that they need to build their capacity to be accountable for any harm that their behavior is causing in the community,” City Attorney Jessica Brown said.
If someone accused of a criminal ordinance violation decided not to join in the program, they would receive a court summons. The city attorney’s office would file charges in the Vermont Superior Court and could request a warrant if they failed to appear.
City Circle would be run by the Burlington Community Justice Center and involve law enforcement or community service officers, volunteers who live or work in the downtown center, and the victim of the crime, if they chose to take part.
Brown said the ordinance to establish City Circle still needs feedback from different stakeholders and will be presented to the City Council and Ordinance Committee in the next few months. The goal is to have it take effect by the end of September.
“Based on some initial conversations with a couple of city councilors, who both expressed enthusiasm about the City Circle concept, we’re also confident that the Ordinance Committee and City Council will approach this project with a spirit of collaboration toward passage,” Brown wrote in a statement to VTDigger. “Generally I think there is enthusiasm among many stakeholders for trying something new when what we’ve been doing within the system has not been particularly effective.”
The mayor also presented another initiative called Situation Table, which is meant to complement City Circle. The program would bring together different organizations, city agencies and police officers to share expertise and provide services based on people’s specific needs. Focus areas would vary in different communities but could include services related to mental health and addiction, housing, education, health, and child and family services.
Situation Table is already widely used in Canada and the U.S., including four tables in other Vermont communities.
