Vermont Business Magazine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn and Vermont State Police Director Colonel Matthew T Birmingham announced Thursday that Captain Ingrid Jonas has been selected to serve as the first Director of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs for the Vermont State Police. This new position will be charged with developing and implementing a comprehensive program to ensure fair and impartial policing practices at all levels of the state police, building relationships of trust with minority communities, diversifying the workforce, and improving cultural awareness as the state of Vermont becomes more diverse. This position reflects the Vermont State Police’s continuing commitment to the importance of fair and impartial policing.
Captain Ingrid Jonas
The Director of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs will work with state police command staff on the following areas:
Recruitment and hiring: The Director will work closely with the Office of Professional Development to make improvements in recruiting efforts, and ensure that prospective members have strong knowledge and understanding of national issues related to policing, bias behavior, and relationships between police and the community.
Training: The Director will ensure that membership is effectively trained at the highest level to ensure the state police is meeting fair and impartial policing practices.
Supervision and accountability: The Director will ensure that front line supervisors are trained to identify issues and effectively intervene when there are concerns.
Outreach to diverse communities: The Director will establish relationships with a diverse range of Vermont citizens and community leaders, as well as chair the Vermont State Police Fair and Impartial Policing Committee. The Director will work to bridge gaps between police and diverse communities in order to build trust and mutual understanding.
Traffic stop race data collection: The Director will comprehensively review traffic stop data on a continuous basis and implement any necessary changes in policy and/or training.
Assessment of institutional practices: The Director will review all department practices from traffic enforcement to the promotional process to ensure that the state police are adhering to the basic principles of fair and impartial policing.
Policy development: The Director will ensure that the state police has meaningful policy to help guide troopers as they make critical law enforcement decisions.
As the Vermont State Police continues to evolve in a rapidly changing law enforcement profession, this position will ensure that the state police remains a highly professional and transparent agency to the people they serve.