Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer has moved to bring all his deputies into compliance by ensuring their law enforcement appointments are on file with the county clerk.
The move by Palmer came after a Vermont Standard investigation uncovered the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department had been using deputy sheriffs who had not been properly commissioned.
In a breaking news story, the Vermont Standard reported initially online on Sept. 15 and later in print that at least seven law enforcement employees at the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department were never officially commissioned to work as deputy sheriffs.
One of the deputy sheriffs without a recorded commission was involved in a fatal on-duty shooting in Springfield last month. That case remains under investigation.
Palmer began to scramble to get the paperwork completed after the Standard news report. County Clerk Pepper Tepperman reported this week that she has received 25 signed commissions from Palmer that she has officially logged into the county record book.
The missing legal documents were the latest bump in the road for Palmer. The Vermont Standard had reported in late August that Palmer was under investigation by the Vermont State Police concerning department money and finances.
Palmer, who was sworn as county sheriff on Feb. 1, 2023, was required to appoint deputies, to have the officers swear an oath of office and to have the appointment document affirmed by a notary public and filed with the county clerk before any work could be undertaken, according to Vermont law.
Palmer admitted that he dropped the ball and did not get all the required steps completed. He told the Standard that he took full blame.
Vermont law states: “A deputy shall not perform an official act until his or her deputation and oath are filed for record in the office of the county clerk.”
Palmer also went on social media later to apologize for his mistake.
“I personally dropped the ball by not making sure that the oaths of office for some deputies were logged with the County Clerk. This was a clerical error that has been rectified, and the lesson learned will not be forgotten,” Palmer wrote.
He said all deputies in his department are certified Vermont law enforcement officers, and they have completed all the mandatory training and certification requirements.
For more on this, please see our September 25 edition of the Vermont Standard.
