 Welcome here to the Miller Community Room at South Burlington Police Headquarters. This is a very exciting Monday morning, not only is it a payroll morning, but we're here to swear in our next Deputy Chief Police, Sean Briscoe. To kick off this morning, we'll have the city manager, Jesse Baker, say a few words. Thank you. Thank you, Chief. So apparently, we only take candidates with SB as the initials. I think we're going to go by Burke and Briscoe for the rest of our time. Thank you all for being here this morning. Sean, thank you for joining our teams and sincere thanks. I wish your family was here as well so we could extend our thanks to them. This is a really exciting moment for the city. Not only are we bringing on another of the best to our team, we have to go out of state to recruit that best. That's not always the case. We grow amazing professionals here in Vermont, but from time to time, we do bring in experts from out of state. So you'll hear from Sean Briscoe a bit more about his experience, from the Chief about why we thought he was a great fit, the work he's done with always building trust with the community, looking for new ways to innovate, public safety is exactly in line with what we are trying to do here in South Burlington. I also want to take a moment just to thank those who are on the interview panel. This was an incredibly complex interview process, with many, many rounds with many community leaders and city leaders at those tables. As a result, we really ended up with a great candidate and next deputy chief for our community. So again, Sean Briscoe, thank you for being here, Chief. Thank you for leading a great process with Daisy as well, and I will turn it back to the Chief. Thank you. I always have to do that, and then I have to tailor my remarks after the manager hits all the highlights. So that's how the hierarchy works here. But again, like the manager mentioned, this was a process that had quite a bit of rigor to it, and we identified a candidate that is just an opportunity in a lot of ways. There's been a ton that's been going on in policing since 2020. We've been highly scrutinized on a national stage. Locally, we have a fantastic police department with an amazing community that supports the police department. Our city council, as evidence in the investment in reinstating the deputy chief process, city management and getting us the technology and tools and helping us with our hiring processes to help sustain operations here have been second to none. In 2021, 2022, we lost about 20% of the police department to retirement. And that is a phenomenon that has been seen across the country. We've been able to make those gains back. And I highlight that simply because it's like being on a sports team. Like when you get behind in a game, you're really under the pressure. You can kind of get in that moment and you can feel sorry for yourself and suffer there. Or you can figure out the best next steps and a path forward for success. And that's what we've been doing. We've had eight officers come through the academy process, some of whom are still in the field training process, learning from the best in the state of Vermont and how to be police officers, and then looking toward what's going on in this community in terms of growth, a little more urban grit, some challenges that we're seeing in our policing. We found Mr. Briscoe, who has actually kind of lived this experience. But during his time, the Saratoga Springs Police Department, an area not too far from Albany, area highly influenced by a large entertainment venue, a racetrack, adhering to horse racing, and a community that's similar in a lot of ways, demographically, and also some of the unmet social service needs that pressed upon their resources as police professionals. So I think this is really a great opportunity for us as an organization and more broadly for advancing public safety and what policing means in the city of South Burlington. So without further ado, we'll have our city clerk administer the oath of office. And once D.C. Briscoe is D.C. Briscoe, I'll present his badge. So if you want to stand up. This is my first one, so we're doing this together. Oh, me too. Okay, two oaths today. First is the oath of allegiance and then the oath of office. So can we raise your right hand? Repeat after me. I state your name. D.C. Briscoe. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will be true and faithful to the state of Vermont. That I will be true and faithful to the state of Vermont. And that I will not directly or indirectly. And that I will not directly or indirectly. Do any act or thing injurious. Do any act or thing injurious. To the Constitution or government thereof. To the Constitution or government thereof. So help me God. So help me God. Under pains and penalties of perjury. Under pains and penalties of perjury. Okay, and next the oath of office. Amen. Aye. Aye. It's the official. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will faithfully execute the office of deputy police chief. That I will faithfully execute the office of deputy police chief. For the state of Vermont. For the state of Vermont. And will therein do equal right and justice. And will therein do equal right and justice. To all persons. To the best of my judgment and ability. To the best of my judgment and ability. According to law. according to law. So help me God. So help me God. Underpains and penalties of perjury. Underpains and penalties of perjury. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. So as it goes in policing, we all wear a badge. Those badges are adorned with a badge number. And Deputy Chief Briscoe will be known as Officer Number 632. Present your badge to you. Congratulations, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. I mentioned to Chief Burke earlier, this is a really cool looking badge. So I had to start off with that. Thank you very much for the warm welcome. I've been very excited to join the team here in South Burlington. When I left Saratoga Springs about a year and a half ago, I thought that I was done with police work and passing the baton to the younger generation. After being in the private sector for about a year, I felt the need to come back in. So I started looking. When I saw the announcement for Deputy Police Chief here in South Burlington, it looked like a great fit. I was welcomed in to several interviews, conversations with Chief Burke, Daisy. The rest of the staff here, everyone has been welcoming straightforward. And I couldn't imagine a better place to continue my law enforcement career for the Sarabu future. This is a fantastic place. I'm really happy to be here. I know the city manager hit on some of the highlights of who I am and what I've done. But I think the most important thing is that I tried to lead my professional life with one key word and that's empathy. And it's important for a law enforcement officer at any rank to understand what's going on in the lives of the people that you're serving and protecting to try and put yourself in their shoes and to give them not only law enforcement services, but social services and understanding and compassion and everything that you do. And I think that is the prominent thing that I'm gonna bring with me here to South Burlington. And I'm really looking forward to get to know each and every one of you and thank you all for coming. This is a great turnout.