Vermont Criminal Justice Council outlines training reforms, curriculum review and staffing needs to legislative committee

Christopher Bacallum, executive director of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee that the council has expanded its board, rewritten rules governing training and professional conduct, and is in year two of a curriculum review for Vermont’s law enforcement academy.

The presentation Tuesday covered three policy changes already implemented in rule — adoption of a law enforcement officers’ code of conduct, moving ARIDE impaired-driving training into rule so prerequisites can be enforced, and new recertification and instructor-qualification standards — plus ongoing work on entrance testing, a planned level‑1 certification course and several operational initiatives.

“Please feel free to call me Chris,” Bacallum said when he introduced himself to the committee. He described the council as a 24‑member body created in 2020 that now includes law‑enforcement practitioners and stakeholder seats the legislature added to broaden oversight and community representation.

Why it matters: the council and the Vermont Police Academy set statewide training, certification and recertification standards for more than 1,400 sworn officers and determine how complaints of unprofessional conduct are reviewed and sanctioned. Changes to training rules and the code of conduct affect every agency that sends recruits to the academy and every officer required to complete in‑service training.

Bacallum told committee members the council adopted a new set of rules in August 2024 and implemented additional changes to the code of conduct and ARIDE rules in January 2025; those rules took effect February 2 (year given in the presentation). He said the code of conduct was developed over roughly 16 stakeholder meetings and moved into rule rather than statute to allow faster adjustments while preserving procedural safeguards for membership review.

On ARIDE — Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement — Bacallum said the council removed the statutory mandate that every officer complete ARIDE within three years because the statutory language did not align with who could actually receive that training. He explained that ARIDE requires a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) instructor and that officers must first gain field experience and certain prerequisite DUI training before ARIDE is appropriate.

The council also presented details about its curriculum and testing efforts. Bacallum said the council is in year two of a curriculum rewrite intended to emphasize competencies rather than solely hourly requirements. The entrance‑testing committee has been evaluating vendors and he said the council had identified a vendor whose test measures for disparate impact and includes assessment of critical thinking; the council expected to move forward pending the next meeting.

Planned and ongoing items described to the committee included:

• A level‑1 certification course scheduled for delivery in early 2026 (timeline given in the presentation).

• Implementation of Acadis, a records‑management system to let agencies pre‑register recruits and access officers’ training records; the council said Acadis implementation is in year two.

• A canine accountability contract to replace a vacated head trainer position and ensure statewide canine standards.

• An officer wellness program contracted with an organization referenced in the presentation as O2X to provide on‑site athletic‑trainer‑level services, nutrition and stress support for recruits.

Bacallum also addressed staffing and capacity: he said the academy operates with a staff of 14 that manages training for approximately 1,400 officers statewide, and acknowledged resource constraints. “When you hear comments like the academy is under resourced, I won’t comment to that, but it’s true,” he said. He described typical basic‑academy class sizes and attrition: the council typically accepts about 38 recruits per full‑time class; a recent cohort started with 62 and graduated 40.

Committee members asked about recruitment and retention, alternate (nonresidential) academy paths, and whether municipal and state recruits train together. Bacallum said recruits from Vermont State Police integrate into the same class as municipal recruits after a Vermont State Police three‑week prebasic program, and he said the council has been exploring alternate‑path language and outreach but has not adopted a definitive alternate‑path model. He cited New Hampshire’s nonresidential option as an example but noted New Hampshire operates with a larger staff and different funding model.

Numbers and logistics discussed in the presentation included an estimate that “just a little over 400” officers statewide had not received ARIDE training; Bacallum noted that figure includes some officers who lack the three years’ field experience prerequisite. He said the council meets quarterly by statute but in practice meets monthly and sometimes more frequently because of hearings and stipulated agreements.

The presentation closed after committee members and council staff discussed next steps for the curriculum review, entrance testing vendor selection, and potential future briefings. Committee members invited the council to return for a follow‑up briefing.