By Guy Page
Citing “the continued and unwarranted disrespect and treatment of myself and the Vergennes Police Department,” Vergennes Chief of Police George Merkel announced yesterday, August 23 he will retire on October 31, more than two years earlier than planned.
Vergennes, proud of its title as both the first and the smallest city in Vermont, was incorporated in 1788. “Much like it was in the old days, the 1897 City Hall and Vergennes Opera House is the center of Vergennes’ business and cultural life. Beautifully restored and acoustically superb, the Opera House presents a year-round schedule of music, theater and film,” the Vermont Vacation website says. “City Park, graced by stately shade trees, hosts summer band concerts; outdoor markets; and community festivals.”
But Vergennes has had its share of civic tumult in recent years. The outspoken Chief Merkel has been in the middle of some the uproar – often as a lightning rod of others’ criticism.
Merkel was appointed Chief of Police in April, 1997. His decision to retire comes two year and two days after the Vermont Attorney General’s Office on August 21, 2020 cleared Merkel of fraud allegations regarding overtime payments from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP). It declined to prosecute Chief Merkel for false reporting “as there is no evidence to suggest that Chief Merkel acted with intent to defraud the GHSP.”
In reaching this decision, the Office reviewed all of the materials provided by the Vermont State Police (VSP), who conducted the investigation, the AG’s office said. The allegation of false reporting is an allegation of criminal fraud. At the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council’s request, VSP investigated allegations of false reporting of overtime hours by Chief Merkel.
A two-year lookback of all overtime requests from all sources, including GHSP, claimed by Chief Merkel from June 1, 2018, through June of 2020, revealed discrepancies on three separate occasions for a total of 15 hours of overtime. The discrepancies appear to be clerical mistakes. The investigation revealed that, while there are some discrepancies with some GHSP Officer Activity and Time Reports submitted by Chief Merkel, there is no evidence that Chief Merkel had an intent to defraud the GHSP program. Any hour of overtime paid through GHSP corresponded with actual highway safety-related activity undertaken by Chief Merkel within the relevant timeframe.
The allegations came from Addison County Sheriff Peter Newton, who has since been charged with domestic violence and is under pressure to resign. Newton continued accusations against Merkel even after the AG decision. After the decision was released, Merkel – an outspoken person who as one-time president of the Vermont Assocation of the Chiefs of Police often testified at the Vermont State House on police-related legislation – responded with an emphatic email to Vergennes residents (as reported by VTDigger):
“I am sorry the City of Vergennes and the Vergennes Police Department has been the subject of such baseless, false, and scathing accusations. The people of the City of Vergennes and its police department did not deserve this, nor did I or my family.”
A review of City Council minutes from this summer and spring show a heightened desire for oversight of the police department. At a May City Council meeting, the City Manager discussed the possible creation of a Police Citizen Review Board. In July, city councilors insisted that bond payments for the new police station come out of the police department budget. There was pushback over paying a part-time administrator to relieve patrol officers of some administrative duties, a recommendation made by an outside police consultant.
Earlier this year, an International Association of Chiefs of Police onsite study determined “Vergennes Police Department is a well-trained and well-organized department, and they generally enjoy a good relationship with the community. This was not always the case, but the department has put in considerable work to emerge from the troubles of the early 2000s…..Vergennes is a safe community with little serious crime, and the majority of calls for service are for quality-of-life issues and traffic incidents.”
The report recommended that, in light of budget restrictions and relatively low crime, the city hire a part-time administrator to lighten the administrative load on police officers.
Merkel’s August 23 letter is addressed to City Manager Ronald Redmond, Vergennes City Mayor Matthew Chabot, Senior Alderman Dickie Austin, Alderman Mel Hawley, Alderman lan Huizenga, Alderwoman Zoe Kaslow, Alderwoman Jill Murray-Killon, Alderwoman Susan Rakowski.
Titled “Notice of Retirement,” Merkel’s letter reads:
“As some of you know, I had planned to retire on my anniversary date of 30 November 2024, however, due to the events of the past four years, the continued and unwarranted disrespect and treatment of myself and the Vergennes Police Department, and the resulting effects on the health of myself and my family, I hereby submit my notice of retirement effective 31 October 2022.
“I will greatly miss many of the members of the community of the City of Vergennes, with whom I have developed wonderful partnerships, and together we bettered our community. I love my “Little City” and I would like to think I, along with my officers, did our very best to protect and serve the citizens of Vergennes. I thank the people of Vergennes for the opportunity to have served them as their Chief of Police for the past thirteen years.”
The letter was forwarded to Vermont Daily Chronicle by an outraged Vergennes resident. “Our City Council, with the exception of maybe two counselors, did absolutely nothing to support our police department,” the Vergennes resident said.