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Equity & Inclusion advisory committee urges sheriff statement on fair-and-impartial policing, asks Selectboard to press state officials
Summary
The Putney Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee read an Arab American Heritage Month statement and recommended the Selectboard request that the Windham County Sheriff's Office confirm compliance with Vermont's model Fair and Impartial Policing policy; the board asked EIAC to draft a letter to the governor and state representatives and agreed to reference the current policy.
Hann Bingham‑Brunner, speaking on behalf of Putney's Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee (EIAC), read an Arab American Heritage Month proclamation and presented EIAC's 'Violations of Fair & Impartial Policing Recommendations.' The EIAC asked the Selectboard to request that the Windham County Sheriff's Office release a public statement verifying that it is in agreement, in spirit and practice, with the Vermont model Fair and Impartial Policing (FIP) standards as they pertain to immigration and interactions with federal immigration authorities.
Selectboard member Peg Alden moved that the board request such a statement from the Windham County Sheriff's Office; the motion passed. Jeanette White cautioned that a new legislative session may have produced an updated policy and Fletcher Proctor offered a friendly amendment to replace the specific June 5, 2024 policy date with language referencing the 'current policy.' The board agreed and asked EIAC to draft a letter to the governor and state representatives advocating the committee's recommendations.
The EIAC's written recommendations, included in the meeting materials, state concerns that people are being apprehended and removed without due process and ask the town to clarify staff and public legal rights in municipal buildings and to establish guidelines on interactions with federal immigration authorities when they appear on town property or work sites. The recommendations called for urgency in addressing those clarifications at the next Selectboard meeting.
The board's action directs staff and the EIAC to pursue a formal written request and follow up with county and state officials; the Selectboard did not adopt the EIAC's text as town policy at the meeting.
