Gov. Phil Scott says he'll propose a public safety package during the upcoming legislative session to deal with rising crime across a handful of Vermont communities.
At his weekly press conference, Scott said the plan will increase penalties for drug trafficking, and include provisions making it easier to hold repeat offenders accountable.
Scott recently attended a community meeting in Rutland, where he says residents raised a variety of safety concerns.
"I think the anger and the frustration and fear that I heard that night is not dissimilar from what I'm hearing in the Chittenden County area — Burlington in particular — and other parts of the state as well," the governor said.
The Vermont chapter of the ACLU says it strongly opposes Scott's approach. Instead, the nonprofit says it makes more sense to invest in local housing, treatment and health care programs.
In a statement released Tuesday, the ACLU of Vermont said policies like what Scott is proposing have shown to be ineffective, and harmful to communities.
“Decades of experience show the governor's approach has not made us safer, and has cost all of us dearly," the ACLU of Vermont wrote. "For healthier, more vibrant communities, we need to learn from the mistakes of the past — not repeat them. That means proven, evidence-based strategies that work for all of us — not more of the same costly, punitive, and ineffective policies that have failed us for so long.”
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