State panel sanctions ex-Rutland officer for violations of anti-bias policing and other policies

The Rutland City Police Department seen on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/rutlland-city-police-1-20260910-1200x798.jpg" /> The Rutland City Police Department seen on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

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The Vermont Criminal Justice Council disciplined a second officer who worked for the Rutland Police Department for violating the Vermont Fair and Impartial Policing Policy.

The council, which oversees police officer conduct in the state, voted Tuesday to issue a written warning to Nicholas Fontana for improperly seeking identification of people in a vehicle at a traffic stop and turning off the audio recording of his body-worn camera during the encounter.

“It’s my understanding from public records that he’s not presently working as a police officer in Vermont,” Christopher Perkett, the council’s associate general counsel, told the panel prior to the vote.

Fontana did not take part in the meeting Tuesday where the vote was taken, and he could not be reached for comment. Rutland City Police Chief Matthew Prouty also could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The council approved the written warning sanction for Fontana with no debate during the public meeting.

Every law enforcement agency in the state must either adopt the state’s model Fair and Impartial Policing Policy or a stricter local one of their own.

In this case, the violation was of the Rutland policy which says: “Absent reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity, Rutland City Police Department employees shall not require that passengers in motor vehicles provide identification or other documents. If requesting such documents, Rutland City Police Department employees will state that passengers are not required to provide them.”

The policy places restrictions on local, county and state law enforcement when it comes to immigration enforcement activities.

Fontana’s matter had initially been set for a contested hearing last month. However, the parties reached a stipulated agreement to resolve the matter, with the council voting to approve it Tuesday.

According to the stipulated agreement, Fontana is required to present the document imposing the written warning to any law enforcement agency in “any location or jurisdiction” where he may seek employment as a law enforcement officer.

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The case against Fontana stemmed from his role in a traffic stop in 2025 when he worked as a Rutland City police officer, according to council documents. Fontana, the documents stated, had arrived at the scene of the traffic stop that was conducted by fellow Rutland City police officer, Tyler Tavares.

During the traffic stop, the council documents stated, Fontana “intentionally muted” his body-worn camera during a period where he “interacted” with people in the vehicle, a violation of the body-worn camera policy..

At one point in the traffic stop, the documents added, Fontana asked for identification from the passengers in the vehicle and did not tell them they were not required to provide that information to him.

Earlier this year, VTDigger reported that the Vermont Criminal Justice Council issued a written warning to Tavares — also as part of a stipulated agreement — for violating the policy by contacting federal authorities to get immigration details about people in the traffic stop.

Read the story on VTDigger here: State panel sanctions ex-Rutland officer for violations of anti-bias policing and other policies.