To the editor: An open letter to Sheriff Palmer

To Sheriff Ryan Palmer:

We write to you in our capacity as the elected representatives and senators of Windsor County during a moment of significant challenge for both the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department and the broader community it serves.

Let it be clear from the outset that we respect the principle of due process and recognize that the legal matters currently before the court have not yet been resolved. At the same time, there are pressing operational needs within the Sheriff’s Department that require immediate attention to ensure continuity of services and financial stability. The possibility of meeting these needs is now threatened by questions as to the integrity of the Sheriff’s Department as well as the distractions from your duties you will inevitably face in mounting a defense to the allegations against you. The community’s faith in its public servant, and by extension its public safety, is in jeopardy while these allegations loom.

In the interest of Windsor County and its residents we respectfully request that you take the following steps while the legal process runs its course:

1. Temporarily step aside from the active duties of sheriff;
2. Formally delegate full operational authority, for both law enforcement and administrative (including financial) aspects of the Department, to a designated deputy sheriff to ensure continuity of leadership;
3. Identify any instances in which you are the sole authorizing official for particular aspects of departmental operations, such as systems and database management, grant administration, ongoing contractual obligations, etc.;
4. Request assistance from the Vermont Sheriff’s Association, including to form of an interim management team to support the department’s law enforcement and administrative operations, and also to consider requesting assistance from the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, as appropriate; and
5. Remove yourself from law enforcement, administrative, and financial decision making, including budgeting and payroll.

These requests are made not as a judgment on the merits of the case, but out of concern for the effective functioning of the Sheriff’s Department and the well-being of its staff and the community.

We appreciate your consideration and await your response.

Respectfully,

Reps. John Bartholomew, Elizabeth Burrows, Tom Charlton, Kevin Christie, VL Coffin, Esme Cole, Alice Emmons, Rebecca Holcombe, Michael Hoyt, Charles Kimbell, James Masland, Kristi Morris, Chris Morrow, John O’Brien, Kirk White and Kevin Winter and Sens.  Alison Clarkson, Joe Major and Becca White.