City manager names Chief Breaux as South Burlington police chief; Breaux to start Oct. 6

The City Manager announced Aug. 1 that Chief Breaux has been selected as South Burlington’s next police chief and will join the department on Oct. 6. The manager said the hire followed a national search, a series of community listening sessions and an assessment center that included local professionals and panels from media, law enforcement, city leadership and service providers.

The appointment matters because the police chief is among the most visible municipal officials and leads public safety strategy and daily operations. "I selected chief Breaux to be the next police chief in the city," the City Manager said, describing a process that included five public listening sessions, a consultant-led national recruitment and interviews of multiple finalists.

In explaining the search, the City Manager said South Burlington uses a council–manager form of government established by a city charter (state statute) and noted that the charter gives the city manager exclusive authority to appoint staff. The manager said they convened a police chief advisory team composed of school, faith, business and service providers, representatives of Vermont Professionals of Color,…