Accountability is challenged by current constitutional and statutory framework, Auditor’s office is tasked with completing biennial financial audits of 14 county sheriffs
VermontBiz State Auditor Doug Hoffer released a report today that summarizes recent incidents that have occurred in various sheriff departments as well as the results of 20 years of financial audits completed by CPA firms working under the direction of the Auditor’s office.
“In recent years Vermonters have been confronted with one troubling story about a Vermont sheriff after another,” said Hoffer. “Obviously, some sheriffs do great work, but for those whose behavior pushes up against or goes beyond what’s acceptable, accountability has not been a straight path. I wanted my staff to produce this summary to give Vermonters a broad sense of what is occurring in these important offices, and how other states hold sheriffs accountable to live up to what should be expected, which is a high bar of service.”
Key takeaways include:
- Over the last few years, at least six sheriffs have been involved in inappropriate or possibly inappropriate conduct, ranging from sexual assault to a sheriff residing out-of-state to unusual financial transactions.
- While a sheriff can have his or her law enforcement supervisory duties revoked by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council (leaving only certain administrative duties to perform) with a parallel reduction in pay, the only avenues for removing a sheriff, regardless of conduct, are the sheriff not seeking re-election, the sheriff losing re-election, and impeachment by the Legislature.
- Other states use additional tools to hold sheriffs accountable, which are detailed in the report.
- From 2006 to 2025, financial audits included 204 findings for all fourteen sheriff departments, 32% of which were repeat findings.
- After the initial round of financial audits in 2006 and 2007, audit findings peaked in 2012 and improved until 2017. However, overall, findings have increased since 2018. Additionally, the number of findings from 2022, 2024, and 2025 are likely underreported, as the Auditor’s contractor was unable to complete audits at Franklin County (2022 and 2024) and Windsor County (2025) due to the deficient state of their financial recordkeeping.
“I would like to reiterate that the problematic conduct of some sheriffs should not be considered a reflection of all Sheriffs. However, what we present in the report highlights the importance of oversight and accountability,” Hoffer added. “The Legislature has debated various reforms in recent years. I hope the new information we provide gives them new tools to consider.”
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