Vermont city goes through 2 police chiefs in a day amid social media controversies

Isaac Fornarola | Burlington Free Press

BURLINGTON, VT – A whirlwind social media saga this week in Burlington, Vermont resulted in a police chief resigning and his appointed successor being removed from the office after both came under suspicion of using fake social media accounts.

Former police chief Brandon del Pozo resigned and former interim police chief Jan Wright was removed by mayor Miro Weinberger. They both used fake social media accounts to take aim at local activist and vocal police critic Charles Winkleman earlier this year.

Winkleman is a frequent and outspoken critic of local government, including the Burlington police. del Pozo retweeted several of Winkleman’s tweets from the “@Winklewatchers” account, adding sarcastic and pointed commentary about Winkleman’s views and accusing him of being a troll, according to the independent Vermont newspaper Seven Days.

This week's events happened in rapid succession on Monday after Weinberger announced del Pozo's resignation, learned of Wright's social media actions, and then swiftly removed her.

Following the controversy, Jon Murad — a former deputy chief — has been appointed to serve as interim police chief. Murad has assured Weinberger that he doesn't have any fake accounts used to troll private citizens.

Among the revelations from the saga: Weinberger had learned of del Pozo's actions months ago. In response, del Pozo was placed on leave, and an internal investigation was opened.

Brandon del Pozo: A timeline of the incidents leading to his resignation

Dec. 13: Burlington Police Commission didn't know about fake Twitter account behind del Pozo's leave

The public began to learn about the saga when del Pozo, admitted to Seven Days, the city's alt-weekly paper, last week that he was behind a fake Twitter account used to troll Winkleman. Four days later, the mayor announced that del Pozo had resigned, and deputy Jan Wright would serve as interim chief.

According to Seven Days, del Pozo, using the handle “@WinkleWatchers,” had anonymously antagonized Winkleman in a flurry of tweets on the Fourth of July. He sent at least 10 tweets and then deleted the account 45 minutes later, according to an internal department email obtained by the Burlington Free Press.

On Aug 2, the mayor announced del Pozo was on paid family and medical leave, though he didn’t say why. Critics say Weinberger had an obligation to report del Pozo’s actions to the public when he first learned of them, but he stands by his handling of the situation.

Del Pozo attributed his actions to a mental health condition resulting from a bicycle accident in June, after which he sustained multiple broken ribs and a head injury. In an interview with the USA TODAY Network, del Pozo said stigma and embarrassment kept him from coming clean to the public. The chief was on leave for six weeks before Weinberger said doctors cleared him for duty.

Because there was an open investigation into the chief’s behavior and his leave was related to a mental health condition, Weinberger said he withheld the information from the public to protect del Pozo’s privacy, as he would do for any city employee.

“At every moment, I thought it was very likely we would end up here, needing to explain my actions,” Weinberger said in an interview with USA Today Network reporters. “I always envisioned we were going to get here, and I did my best knowing my decisions were going to have to stand up to public scrutiny, and I stand by those decisions.”

What he might not have anticipated, though, was that the deputy he named interim chief would, a few hours after he announced her appointment, inform him that she had a fake account of her own, operating under the name “Lori Spicer” on Facebook.

Deputy Police Chief Jan Wright: Burlington deputy police chief had fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram

At a city council meeting that night, Weinberger said he’d removed Wright from that post, and Murad, who once had a television acting career that included appearances on the X-files, would serve in her place.

The Lori Spicer account, whether tongue-in-cheek or meant to divert suspicion, plays off progressive tropes: One of the account's few public posts is a photo of former NFL quarterback and notable police critic Colin Kaepernick, wearing a sweatshirt calling out the lack of repercussions for officers accused of violence against people of color.

Reporters for the USA Today Network also uncovered an Instagram account, @lorispicer420, that the mayor’s office confirmed is tied to Wright. @lorispicer420 follows the mayor and the Burlington Police Department. Wright remains on full duty, but her social media pages are under investigation, Weinberger said.

Winkleman, the activist on the receiving end of Wright's and del Pozo’s online taunts, says del Pozo’s resignation is not enough – he wants the mayor to step down, too, and has in recent days railed against local media for not giving him enough air time.

Follow Isaac Fornarola on Twitter: @isaacforn. Contributing: Elizabeth Murray, Ryan Mercer, and April Barton