Board Not Worried About Chief’s Lack of Certification

Vermont Standard

August 18, 2016 

By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

Although Killington Police Chief Whit Montgomery was awarded his position by the select board in 2013 on the condition that he would complete the Level III Vermont Police Academy training, the selectmen and town manager say they participated in the decision to skip the course this year.

“We looked into the matter very thoroughly,” selectman Chris Bianchi said. “Whit has taken all of the courses in that training program, at the same school, during his career.”

He said the board is looking into having Montgomery certified at Level III on that basis. Both Bianchi and select board chair Patty McGrath are confident they will be able to convince the Police Academy to recognize Montgomery’s piecemeal participation in the course as evidence he has earned certification.

But the Level III certification isn’t the only complication facing Killington.

Until last month, the police department included Chief Montgomery, a part-time officer named Jay Riehl, and Brent Howard, who was a fulltime officer. Howard left under unexplained circumstances in July, leaving the town’s law enforcement down to Montgomery and Riehl.

“Not enrolling Chief Montgomery in the program at this time was the best thing for the town,” McGrath said. “Otherwise our chief would be gone for four months and we’d be down to one part-time officer.”

Riehl has the Level III certification, which, if he were the case manager in a criminal investigation, would allow Montgomery to participate in the process.

In 2015 Montgomery left the four-month residential training session halfway through the course, explaining that he had come down with the flu. Although some residents called for his resignation for lack of credentials, the select board said the training and authority he had at the time was adequate for the demands made on him in this resort town of 800 fulltime residents. His Level II training qualifies him to investigate minor criminal action, such as breaking local and traffic laws, drug possession, domestic disputes and disturbing the peace.

Last year Montgomery told the Vermont Standard he was qualified to handle situations that he actually faces, and would call in the state police for more serious investigations such as homicide or drug distribution anyway, as they have the manpower, training and labs necessary to deal with the more egregious felonies. He indicated that he intended to obtain the certification when he had the next opportunity.

The course is given twice a year, starting in February and again in August, but Montgomery has not enrolled in either session.

He is one of very few Vermont chiefs of police who have not achieved the Level III certification, according to an academy spokesperson.

In other business, all three selectmen agreed to form a golf foursome with one of Bianchi’s sons to par- ticipate in the Vermont League of Cities and Towns Golf Tournament on Aug. 24 at the Green Mountain International Golf Course. Schwartz agreed to drive one of their carts, as she has yet to take up the game.

Whimsically, Jim Hoff, the only member of the public present at the meeting, suggested the board should officially “warn” a meeting of the board for the golf event, as they would all be together. The public has to know when that occurs, he noted, so they can attend if they want to. Otherwise it’s a “secret meeting.”

“You wouldn’t want that to come back and bite you some day,” Hoff said.

The Board took his suggestion seriously and voted to warn the Board would be meeting at the golf outing.

“I hope the course has enough carts for members of the public who might show up,” Bianchi said.