Vermont Criminal Justice Council asks committee for three new training positions and one-time funds

Chris Kertel of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council told the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee that the council is seeking three full-time positions and one-time funding to complete a multi-year curriculum rewrite and sustain statewide training programs.

Kertel said the council is asking for a curriculum-development position, a head canine trainer and an athletic trainer in addition to the governor’s recommended budget. "I appreciate the opportunity to come and identify a few things that are outside of our governor's recommended budget," he said.

The curriculum position is intended to manage a three-year rewrite, keep materials current with evolving best practices and accreditation standards, and expand online training. Kertel said the council originally requested $1.5 million for the curriculum rewrite from the Legislature but received $1.2 million; the council is now requesting an additional $300,000 in one-time funding to complete that work if the position is not funded. The curriculum position was listed at pay grade 25, described in the presentation as roughly $114,000.

Kertel described the head canine trainer request as filling a persistent gap flagged in an audit. He said the council previously relied on a single training coordinator who handled both canine instruction and extensive recordkeeping; after that person retired the council contracted with an outside trainer and reassigned recordkeeping to existing staff. A permanent head canine trainer, Kertel said, would set and maintain certification standards approved by the council and the state canine committee and reduce the need for agencies to send teams out of state for certified training. Kertel reported there are 27 canine teams that the council tries to maintain, and that two of those teams come from New Hampshire; he also recited discipline counts from council records: 16 detection teams, 11 patrol-certified teams and 16 teams certified in tracking and trailing (the transcript presents those discipline numbers as reported by council staff).

The athletic trainer position, proposed at pay grade 23 (described in the presentation as just over $104,000), is intended to reduce injuries and workers' compensation claims by providing on-site assessment and injury prevention for recruits and level-2 training participants. Kertel said the council has been using a contractor for that role and believes a full-time position would reduce off-site medical visits and long-term claims.

Beyond personnel, Kertel listed one-time equipment and program requests totaling "a little over $700,000" for items the council said fall outside normal operating expenses. The document discussed in committee lists items including replacement redman suits used for force-scenario training, a new Taser platform (Taser 10) with a cited incremental cost of $5,100, and other training equipment. Kertel acknowledged an itemized spreadsheet showed about $803,000 when optional items were included; he told the committee he would provide the full spreadsheet after the meeting.

Kertel also said the council reduced an original $600,000 RFP-related request to $300,000 for the committee’s consideration and that it continues to seek $8,000 for language access assistance; he said the $75,000 for professional development is included in the one-time equipment ask.

Committee members asked clarifying questions during the presentation. Representative Coffin asked how many canine teams exist statewide; Kertel answered with the counts noted above and confirmed New Hampshire teams sometimes come to Vermont for certification. A committee member asked whether the athletic trainer might reduce workers' compensation claims; Kertel said the council has pulled law-enforcement–specific workers' compensation figures and hopes the position will reduce claims statewide.

Kertel said he will supply the committee with the detailed spreadsheet and other follow-up material. Representative Pango Waters Evans and another committee member said they will incorporate the council’s requests into a committee budget spreadsheet and continue granular discussions.

No formal motion or vote was recorded on the requests during the meeting transcript provided. The committee asked for follow-up documents and said it will continue discussion at a future meeting.