U.S. Attorney’s Office and Hinesburg Police Department Resolve ADA Compliance Review

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that it has resolved its review of the Hinesburg Police Department’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The compliance review focused on interactions with individuals with mental health disabilities and was initiated in January 2017, following a May 2016 incident between a Hinesburg police officer and a resident.

Throughout the compliance review, Chief Frank Koss made clear that the Hinesburg Police Department is committed to serving every member of the Hinesburg community equally and effectively. As part of the resolution of the review, the Hinesburg Police Department will revise its policies to ensure compliance with the ADA, receive additional training on interacting with individuals with mental health disabilities, and consider whether additional changes to its practices are appropriate. Chief Koss and the Hinesburg Police Department are to be commended for their collaborative approach to the compliance review.

This year marks the 27th anniversary of the passage of the ADA, which provides in part that no qualified individual with a disability shall, because of that disability, be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in the services, programs, and activities of all state or local government entities, including law enforcement.

Assistant United States Attorney Julia Torti handled this matter for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. The Hinesburg Police Department was represented by William Ellis of McNeil, Leddy & Sheahan PC.

For more information on the ADA, visit http://www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information Line at contact the ADA Information Line at
800-514-0301 (voice) 800-514-0383 (TTY).

To file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt and click on “File a Civil Rights Complaint.”