Who will fill the boots? Winooski setting goals for new police chief

After 27 years with the Winooski Police Department – nine of them as chief – Rick Hebert retired at the end of last month, leaving a legacy of strong community-based policing. Now, the city has a gap to fill, and Winooski residents have a question to answer: What do they want from a new police chief?

This transition and loss of more than 30 years of institutional knowledge is happening at a time when Winooski – like many U.S. cities big and small – faces an increase in crime and an understaffed department overseeing public safety. Communities across the nation are experiencing these trends, confirmed Lt. James Charkalis, a police spokesperson who has spent 17 years in Winooski’s department.

“We know gun violence is at an all-time high. We have gangs in Vermont now,” Charkalis said. “The next administration has to understand that people are scared.”

He emphasized that the department and next chief would continue to focus on these challenges. “We are doing everything in our power to help offset some of these egregious crimes we’ve seen in the past years.”

The city posted the open chief position from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. and is now reviewing applications, according to City Manager Elaine Wang, who is leading the hiring process. She declined multiple requests for an interview about the chief job and agreed to answer only some questions solely via email.

The city is incorporating community feedback as part of its search, Wang wrote. And after review of the applications, Wang said she plans to hold a community forum for members of the public to meet the finalists and provide input for the decision.Wang acknowledged in her email that the vacant top spot creates challenges for the department. “But they are stepping up and we are grateful to them.”

Lt. Justin Huizenga, a six-year veteran of the Winooski department, is serving as interim chief and has applied for the permanent position. He did multiple stints as interim chief during his 12 years working for the Williston Police Department.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and murder of George Floyd, whose death prompted nationwide concerns about excessive policing, Winooski’s department incorporated strategies working within the community under Hebert. “Many in the public sector have been grappling with an overdue reckoning with policing in general,” Wang wrote in her email. “What we do going forward has to be informed by this reckoning, with the interim chief and the new chief.”

Wang said the city has contracted with JW Leadership Consulting, an Arlington-based agency run by a former Rutland police chief who provides guidance in police matters, job searches and other municipal processes. Wang also has put together a nine-person advisory committee of “a cross section of city staff,” plus Shawn Burke, the police chief in South Burlington. She declined to identify the rest of the members of the committee.

The consultants are reaching out to several “community stakeholders” for input and feedback on the qualities they want the city to consider in a new police chief. Those include “youth, longtime Winooski residents, new Americans in affordable housing, Somali-Bantu community members, police department staff, operators of affordable housing and formal community leaders,” Wang said. She declined to name any specific individuals or organizations who are part of that outreach.

JW Leadership Consulting is now talking to those stakeholders, Wang said, adding that she has not yet received the findings from that process so far.

The city and police department have worked together during Hebert’s tenure to define and align values and goals for Winooski.

The police department’s latest Community Policing Strategic Plan provides a guide to the qualities the city would like in a new chief, Wang wrote. “We strive to protect our diverse and dynamic community with fairness, integrity, and respect for the rights of the individual,” the plan reads. And it says the city aims “to develop a creative, forward-thinking workforce.”

The job brochure outlining the chief’s position for potential applicants includes a quote from policechiefmagazine.org:

"A person’s perceptions of equity, inclusion and diversity directly affect ethical decision making,” the brochure reads. “If an individual does not value equity, inclusion and diversity, their judgments will not be aligned to provide fair treatment and the broad representation and perspectives of society."

Wang said she would address any community concerns about the eventual hiring decision. “It would be my responsibility to remedy that, and the public would have me to hold accountable for that.”

Hebert did not respond to multiple attempts to interview him about his work.

The outgoing chief forged the 21st century policing model for the town, Charkalis said. That model emphasizes community outreach, connection and transparency, he said. As part of that effort, the department has aimed to address long-term problems such as mental health, drug use and lack of affordable housing.

On the ground, officers ask themselves: “Are we going to use force? Or, okay, are we going to take a deep breath and talk this through? Do we have to rush, or do we have time?” Charkalis said. “It’s not about ramming down a door and going in as quick as we can to arrest someone.”

Instead, the department has worked to bring in other supports and resources that will make residents feel safe and provide them with long-term solutions for their difficulties, he said.

For almost two decades, Charkalis worked alongside Hebert and got involved in much of the community outreach the chief introduced. Those included afterschool programs, events such as Coffee with a Cop and block parties for community members to stop by for a burger or hotdog and chat with officers out of uniform, “have a more casual and candid conversation with them,” Charkalis said.

Huizenga embraces the former chief’s approach. “Communication is key,” he said. “If your officers know the community that they serve and if your community knows the officers, there’s always going to be that comfort level to communicate and serve well.”

Some of those community activities have been challenging to reincorporate while the department is short-staffed, Huizenga said. It has to prioritize the most basic operations and has struggled just to cover shifts.

The station now employs 13 officers but is budgeted to hold 15, in addition to a chief, Wang said.

To fill in the gaps, Winooski’s police receive support from federal law enforcement agencies, specifically the Department of Homeland Security and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as Howard Center’s Community Outreach team of social workers.

Huizenga said he looks forward to a new chief and new officers implementing directive patrols, community outreach and one-on-one meetings with residents among other proactive policing measures.

“I just want to continue to grow and adapt,” Charkalis said, describing police work as an ever-changing job. “I Just hope the next chief cares. If they care, it will lead to great things.”

The City of Winooski recently released a Chief of Police Survey for Winooski residents to give input on policing as they review candidates.