Brandon del Pozo

Brandon del Pozo, PhD, MPA, MA (born 1974) is a drug policy and public health researcher[1] who was the chief of police of Burlington, Vermont. He was appointed to the position on September 1, 2015.[2] Prior to coming to Burlington, del Pozo served with the New York City Police Department for nearly two decades, rising to the rank of deputy inspector. While there, he commanded the 6th and 50th Precincts,[3][4] and served overseas as an intelligence officer for the Arab world and India (based in Jordan's capital, Amman), where he investigated terror attacks to see what lessons they offered for better protecting New York City.[3][5] He has received national recognition for his commitment to innovation and reform.[6]

Brandon del Pozo
Chief of Police, Burlington, Vermont
In office
September 1, 2015  December 16, 2019
Preceded byMichael Schirling
Personal details
Spouse(s)Sarah Carnevale (m. 2002)
Alma materDartmouth College (AB, 1996), Harvard University (MPA, 2004), John Jay College, CUNY (MA, 2007), The Graduate Center, CUNY (MPhil, 2012 & PhD, 2020)
Websitewww.brandondelpozo.com

Education

Born in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of the New York borough of Brooklyn to a Cuban father and Jewish mother,[4] del Pozo graduated from Stuyvesant High School[7] in New York, then completed a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.[8]

Del Pozo earned a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a master of arts in Criminal Justice from John Jay College.[9][10] While at the Kennedy School, he was a 9/11 Public Service Fellow, in recognition of the sacrifices made by first responders on that day.[9][11]

He holds a PhD in Philosophy and the enroute MPhil degree from The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York.[12] His dissertation, The Police and the State, "offers a systematic account of the relationship between the police and the democratic state" in terms of contemporary political philosophy.[13]

Career

Citing the challenges of policing in the United States,[14] del Pozo came to Burlington with a desire to improve police services in the city as a model for progress in the profession.[15] His appointment was contested by some locals due to his prior work with the New York Police Department (NYPD).[16] After a public discussion of his views, his nomination was unanimously approved by the Burlington City Council.[17]

Opioid addiction and overdose reduction

Opioid abuse and dependency have been a concern for the city and its police in light of the state of Vermont's wider struggles with opioid addiction.[18][19] Burlington mayor Miro Weinberger directed del Pozo to create and implement a strategy[20] for addressing its effects that focuses on public health rather than law enforcement[21] and uses data and collaboration as cornerstones of the approach.[22] Shortly after taking on the leadership of the Burlington Police Department, del Pozo began a wide-ranging initiative.[23] He directed all patrol officers to carry Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug,[24] and assisted the mayor's office with the creation of the city's Opioid Policy Coordinator position, as well as staffing his office with analyst with graduate training in epidemiology and biostatistics.[25] Based out of the police department, the two positions vet police work for better public health outcomes and assist the city in formulating policies, directives and public engagements to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with opioid abuse.[26]

Del Pozo has been known to personally meet with and try to help members of the community suffering from addiction,[27] and his insights into the need for swift action and an end to stigma in treating addiction and overdose have gone viral and gained national attention.[28] He has been vocal about the need for all people suffering from opioid addiction to have prompt access to the medications proven to treat it,[29] including prisoners,[30] and he adopted a policy in conjunction with the county prosecutor where his department would not arrest people for unprescribed possession of buprenorphine.[31][32] In early 2020, the city of Philadelphia took the same position towards buprenorphine, citing Burlington's leadership on the issue.[33]

In 2018, as the rest of Vermont saw a 20% increase in opioid overdose deaths, Burlington's county saw a 50% decline in these deaths, to their lowest levels since 2013, when the state began keeping records.[34] The reduction was sustained through the end of 2019.

Del Pozo serves on the board of trustees of the Howard Center, Vermont's largest addiction and mental health service provider.[35]

Use of force reform

In the winter of 2016, after a Burlington police officer killed Phil Grenon, a man who attacked the police with knives at the end of a prolonged standoff,[36] del Pozo began a program to improve outcomes in the use of force, piloting the Police Executive Research Forum's (PERF) new force guidelines and curriculum[37][38] and introducing new tactics and technologies that avert physical confrontations.[39] The Reveal, a show syndicated by American Public Media, produced a segment taking a close look at the incident and its aftermath: "When Tasers Fail."[40]

In 2018, del Pozo gave the highest award in the department to an officer who was in the path of a robbery suspect fleeing in a vehicle and would have been justified in opening fire on the vehicle, but chose not to,[41] saying that restraint was a valuable quality in a police officer.[42] He also investigated the Vermont State Police Academy for allegations that officers were needlessly being struck unexpectedly in the head during training scenarios, causing a pattern of concussions.[43] As a result, the academy settled a suit with one of the injured students and ceased delivering unexpected blows to the heads of its recruits.[44]

In November 2019, del Pozo authored an op-ed in The New York Times arguing that when confronting persons in crisis armed with knives, police officers should view their firearms as a means to defend themselves and others from harm, rather than the means by which to persuade the person to drop the knife, often accompanied by yelling orders that only escalate the person in crisis.[45] Instead, he advocated that officers should have a gun at the ready, but engage with distressed suspects as if the officer was unarmed and had to rely on deescalation and persuasion instead.[45]

A few weeks later, his view was echoed by the Washington Post editorial board, which observed that the present protocol "is for officers to advance and draw their guns, repeatedly shout 'Drop the knife!' and hope for compliance. But pointing a gun at a person in crisis tends to increase their anxiety and exacerbate the situation, while advancing toward them may put the officer in unnecessary danger." The Post repeated del Pozo's observation that, in sum, "officers should be trained not to point weapons at potentially suicidal people, to move a safe distance away and continue backing away when possible, and to converse with the person rather than shouting commands."[46] Both opinion pieces were based on a research report by PERF outlining the potential for such innovations in police tactics to prevent shootings and save lives.[47]

Transparency

An advocate for greater transparency in policing and government, del Pozo created a police data transparency portal where he discloses a range of raw and processed data about the work of the Burlington Police under a quote by legal philosopher Jeremy Waldron: "In a democracy, the accountable agents of the people owe the people an account of what they have been doing, and a refusal to provide this is simple insolence."[48] He has spoken at the Obama White House to an audience of police leaders on the value of the practice as part of efforts to implement the recommendations of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.[49] During his tenure, the police department has made concerted efforts to diversify its rank and file, with moderate success.[50]

Overseas intelligence

In 2005, citing intelligence failures that led to the 9/11 terror attacks, the NYPD selected del Pozo to create and staff its first intelligence liaison post with the Arab world, based out of Amman, Jordan.[51] Embedded with the Jordanian National Police, he responded to suicide bombings at Jordanian hotels planned and executed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and an attack on a Roman amphitheater.[52] He also responded to two attacks in Mumbai, India: a 2006 bombing of seven trains on the city's commuter rail,[53][54] and the 2008 Lashkar-e-Taiba-led attack on downtown Mumbai itself, where a team of gunmen attacked hotels, transportation hubs, tourist areas and a Jewish cultural center. Del Pozo reported his analyses back to the NYPD and other agencies,[55] assessing how these attacks could be replicated by exploiting security vulnerabilities in New York City,[56] and what measures could be taken to prevent them.[57] His role was unique in that there was no other US intelligence officer conducting work on behalf of a municipal police department in either region.[58]

Recognition

In May 2016, the PERF awarded del Pozo its Gary Hayes Memorial Award for his innovation and leadership.[59] He is also an executive fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Police Foundation, a "national, independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science."[60] New York Times editor and book critic Dwight Garner characterized del Pozo as "thoughtful and sane."[61]

He is presently writing a book about police work for Farrar, Straus & Giroux.[15]

Resignation

Del Pozo resigned as police chief on December 16, 2019, after disclosing that he had used an anonymous Twitter account to direct approximately eight tweets at a critic of the city leadership, for approximately an hour on July 4, before deleting the tweets and the account within the hour.[62] When asked by a reporter about the tweets later that July, del Pozo denied authorship.[63] Five months later, when Del Pozo admitted that he authored the tweets, he resigned. In a statement to The New York Times, he said he wrote eight Tweets "in 45 minutes of my life that I wish I could take back, but they taught me that nothing good ever comes from letting social media criticism get under your skin... It was a real lesson learned during a stressful time in my life."[64] An attorney suing the city complained that del Pozo didn't list the Twitter account in court filings pertaining to an unrelated use of force lawsuit.[65] The federal court judge reviewing the complaint dismissed it, ruling that the attorney violated good faith by making the complaint,[66] and finding "no evidence that the omissions had caused any 'discernable [sic] harm.'"[67]

Research

Shortly after completing his doctorate, del Pozo's dissertation research was featured on Slate and in a podcast by Hi-Phi nation,[68] and showcased by the CUNY Graduate Center as an example of doctoral research with the potential for significant public impact.[69] He then accepted a position as a postdoctoral researcher in drug policy and substance use[70] at the Miriam Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Personal life

Del Pozo married Sarah Carnevale in 2002.[71] They moved to Burlington from the village of Cold Spring, New York.[72] He wrote and directed a narrative short film, Sunday 1287,[73] which screened at the Middlebury and Vermont International Film Festivals.[74] The film was based on a crime he investigated while commanding a precinct in the New York borough of the Bronx. In 2018, he suffered multiple serious injuries in a bicycle accident, was evacuated to an intensive care unit by helicopter, and went on to recover and return to full duty in his role.[75] An outdoors enthusiast,[76] he has climbed New Hampshire's 48 highest mountains,[77] completed the Lake Placid Half Ironman and other triathlons, and written for publications about cycling and climbing.[78][79]

References

  1. Pozo, Brandon del. "Brandon Del Pozo". Brandon del Pozo. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  2. Leslie, Alexandra (September 2, 2015). "Brandon del Pozo Sworn In As Burlington's New Police Chief". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  3. "Commander's goal is to make Village area 'safe for everyone'". thevillager.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  4. "'Philosopher commander' at 6th". thevillager.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  5. Miller, Judith (December 1, 2008). "FBI and NYPD Bury the Hatchet". New York Post. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  6. "Chief Brandon del Pozo Awarded National Innovation & Leadership Award by Top Progressive Policing Organization | City of Burlington, Vermont". burlingtonvt.gov. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  7. "WestView Letter June 2012: Beyond the Letter of the Law". June 1, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  8. "Climb Every Mountain | Dartmouth Alumni Magazine". dartmouthalumnimagazine.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  9. School, Harvard Kennedy. "NYPD Crimson". hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  10. "Del Pozo passes top cop torch at the Five-O". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  11. DaSilva, Staci (September 1, 2015). "BTV Police Chief Reflects On 9/11 Experience As NYPD Officer". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  12. Pozo, Brandon del. "Brandon del Pozo". Brandon del Pozo. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  13. del Pozo, Brandon (February 1, 2020). "The Police and the State". All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects.
  14. Wilson, Michael; Schwirtz, Michael (July 9, 2016). "In Week of Emotional Swings, Police Face a Dual Role: Villain and Victim". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  15. Freese, Alicia. "Burlington's Top Cop, Brandon del Pozo, Aims to Rewrite Policing". Seven Days. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  16. Hallenbeck, Terri. "Burlington City Councilors Stand By Their Man: Del Pozo Is New Police Chief". Seven Days. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  17. Hallenbeck, Terri. "Burlington City Council Backs del Pozo for Police Chief". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  18. "The New Face of Heroin". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  19. Davis, Mark. "Death by Drugs: Opiates Claimed a Record Number of Vermonters in 2016". Seven Days. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  20. Freese, Alicia. "Del Pozo's Diagnosis: Police Chief Outlines Opiate Strategy". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  21. Connors, Mitch Wertlieb, Liam. "One Year In, Burlington's Police Chief Reflects On Use Of Force And Opiate Addiction". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  22. Freese, Alicia. "Help Wanted: Two Good People To Assist Burlington in Addressing the Opiate Problem". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  23. Hyperakt (June 8, 2018). "David and Goliath". Vera. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  24. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20170128153232/https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/police/press/1-8-16,%20press%20release%20-%20Naloxone.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. Police, Burlington (February 2, 2018). "So pleased to welcome Kayla Donohue to our CommunityStat team! She's our opioid data analyst. Trained in epidemiology & biostatistics at Boston University, she'll work with our @OpioidPolicyBTV coordinator to ensure policing & public health never part ways in #BTV.pic.twitter.com/F8mNJGXKOB". @OneNorthAvenue. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  26. "BTV's opioid-policy leader pioneers data-based approach". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  27. Baker, Al (June 1, 2017). "When Opioid Addicts Find an Ally in Blue". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  28. "Viral Opioid Obituary — And Police Chief's Response — Show Journey Of Addiction, Resilience". WAMU. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  29. Szalavitz, Maia; Rinkunas, Susan (June 2, 2018). "These Cities Are Finally Making Addiction Meds Easier to Get". Tonic. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  30. "Chief: More drug treatment needed in prison". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  31. Freese, Alicia. "Burlington to Ease Access to Opioid Addiction Medication". Seven Days. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  32. Szalavitz, Maia (June 2, 2018). "These Cities Are Finally Making Addiction Meds Easier to Get". Vice. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  33. Krasner, DA Larry (January 2, 2020). "Grateful to you all for leading the way". @DA_LarryKrasner. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  34. Jickling, Katie. "Opioid Deaths Rise in Vermont but Plummet in Chittenden County". Seven Days. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  35. "Connolly, del Pozo, Couture, Willenborg join Howard Center board". Vermont Business Magazine. January 8, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  36. "Burlington police post shooting videos online". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  37. "BPD training teaches peaceful deescalation". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  38. Aragon, Rachel (September 1, 2016). "BTV Police Undergo De-Escalation Crisis Training". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  39. "Burlington Police Department adds two scout robots". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  40. "When Tasers fail". Reveal. May 1, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  41. Pozo, Brandon del (March 1, 2018). "Last May, Corporal Mike Hemond, gun drawn on a crowded street, faced a robbery suspect bearing down on him in a car. He could've shot, but didn't. The suspect was later arrested. Today, I gave CPL Hemond the Chief's Award for this & other acts of courage. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2017/05/23/chief-body-cam-video-shows-officers-bravery-and-restraint/339361001/ …pic.twitter.com/4zDKEUCDa5". @BrandondelPozo. Retrieved January 19, 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  42. Murray, Elizabeth. "Chief: Body cam video shows officer's restraint". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  43. "Recruits suffer concussions during 'Hitchhiker Scenario' police academy drill". VTDigger. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  44. French, Ellie (October 9, 2019). "Police academy settles for $30,000 in 'hitchhiker scenario' suit". VTDigger. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  45. Pozo, Brandon del (November 1, 2019). "Opinion | I'm a Police Chief. We Need to Change How Officers View Their Guns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  46. The Editorial Board (January 10, 2020). "'Suicide by cop' is a persistent problem. Here's how to prevent it". The Washington Post.
  47. "Suicide By Cop". policeforum.org. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  48. "BPD Crime Data | City of Burlington, Vermont". burlingtonvt.gov. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  49. McGilvery, Keith. "Police Chief Del Pozo reflects on trip to Washington D.C." Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  50. "Editorial: Burlington police does diversity". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  51. Dickey, Christopher (2009). Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force—The NYPD. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 147.
  52. Butcher, Tim (September 4, 2006). "Terror in the amphitheatre as tourists are shot". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  53. Comiskey, John (2010). EFFECTIVE STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL POLICE INTELLIGENCE: THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S INTELLIGENCE ENTERPRISE. Monterey, CA: The US Naval Postgraduate School. p. 71.
  54. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Mumbai-terror-makes-NYPD-Blue/articleshow/1785453.cms
  55. "Mumbai Attacks Offer Clues To Security". NPR. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  56. "How Safe Are Hotels and Other Urban Spaces? | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  57. "Counterterrorism and Intelligence" (PDF). Center for Law and Human Behavior, UT el Paso.
  58. Dahl, Erik J. (July 3, 2014). "Local approaches to counterterrorism: the New York Police Department model". Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism. 9 (2): 81–97. doi:10.1080/18335330.2014.940815. ISSN 1833-5330. S2CID 154127041.
  59. (PDF) http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Subject_to_Debate/Debate2016/debate_2016_mayjun.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  60. "Chief Brandon del Pozo | Police Foundation". policefoundation.org. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  61. "Dwight Garner on Twitter". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  62. Murray, Elizabeth. "Burlington Police Chief del Pozo resigns: Here's how he got to that point". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  63. Lamdin, Courtney. "Burlington Police Chief Admits He Used an Anonymous Twitter Account to Taunt a Critic". Seven Days. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  64. Cramer, Maria (February 1, 2020). "Yet Another Vermont Police Chief Quits Over Fake Social Media Accounts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  65. "On Tape, Burlington Police Chief Repeatedly Lied About Twitter Account in July". Seven Days. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  66. https://vtdigger.org/2020/01/24/federal-judge-denies-motion-to-sanction-burlington-over-ex-chiefs-twitter-account/
  67. "Judge Won't Sanction Burlington Over Anonymous Twitter Account". Seven Days.
  68. Lam, Barry (May 1, 2020). "An Ex–Police Chief on Why Some Laws Shouldn't Be Enforced". Slate. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  69. Center, The Graduate (May 1, 2020). "This year's Dissertation Showcase will be a special online event – tune in Tues, May 19 @ 7:30 pm: https://www.youtube.com/user/GradCenterCUNY/live … Students from diverse disciplines present their Ph.D. dissertations in just 3 min each. Join us for a fast-paced tour of doctoral research at the GC!pic.twitter.com/yONPG4uJ3E". @GC_CUNY. Retrieved May 25, 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  70. Pozo, Brandon del. "Brandon Del Pozo". Brandon del Pozo. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  71. Ellin, Abby (March 3, 2002). "WEDDINGS: VOWS; Sarah Carnevale and Brandon del Pozo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  72. Turton, Michael. "The Paper Interviews: Brandon del Pozo". Highlands Current. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  73. Sunday 1287, retrieved July 13, 2017
  74. Isaacs, Abby (October 2, 2016). "Burlington Police Chief directs film to play in Vermont International Film Festival". WPTZ. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  75. Johnson, Mark (August 1, 2018). "I was doing what thousands of athletes have done". VTDigger. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  76. "Burlington's New Police Chief is a Badass". RootsRated. May 1, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  77. Brandon del Pozo ’96 | Jan – Feb 2016. "Climb Every Mountain". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  78. "Adirondack Life Blog Archive Cycle Adirondacks – Adirondack Life". adirondacklifemag.com. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  79. "Adirondack Life Article – The Ice Man – Adirondack Life". adirondacklifemag.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.