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On Thursday, August 25, 2022, officials announced that Vermont Sheriff's Captain John Grismore was fired from the position following the release of a video that allegedly showed the captain physically assaulting a detainee earlier this month.
In the video, the former captain can be seen kicking the detainee, who is handcuffed to a bench, in the groin and abdomen area multiple times. In the video provided to NBC News on Friday by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Grismore can be seen kicking the unknown detainee after he allegedly said a homophobic slur.
The Sheriff's Office condemned Captain John Grismore's actions and called them "egregious."
Trigger warning: The following video is graphic. The viewer's discretion is advised.
In a statement made regarding the ex-captain's actions on August 7, Sheriff Roger Langevin said:
"The egregious incident involving Grismore was reported to me by deputies working for me here at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. I am proud of our deputies’ actions and integrity in coming forward with this information. The actions of Capt. Grismore do not reflect the values and high standards of conduct and performance that I expect from my staff each and every day."
He also confirmed that John Grismore, who had been on administrative leave since the incident, was no longer a part of the department.
"Grismore is no longer employed by the FCSO and no longer has my support for Sheriff. Additionally, I have filed the incident with the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council ... and they may institute sanctions including revocation of law enforcement certification."
John Grismore is the Republican frontrunner for the Sheriff's Office in the primary election and previously had Roger Langevin's support. However, in light of the recent assault, Langevin has revoked his support for the Sheriff hopeful.
According to VTDigger, despite bipartisan calls for Grismore to pull out of the race, he is expected to remain on the ballot as only court orders can remove his candidacy.
He is currently under investigation by the Vermont State Police.
John Grismore's video highlights increase in cases of police brutality
John Grismore's alleged assault on a handcuffed detainee is just one of the many instances of police brutality in recent months. Towards the end of July, Sam Dobbins, the chief of the Lexington Police Department in Mississippi, was forced to resign by the Board of Aldermen after a racist and insensitive audio recording of him was made public.
Body cam footage released in July of a detainee fatally falling from a police car put Georgia police officers in hot water. 28-year-old Brianna Grier fell from a moving patrol car in a handcuffed state and passed away six days later due to her injuries. The cause of her death has been cited as police negligence as allegedly not only was the door beside her not locked, but the officer did not put her seatbelt on either.
Several protests have taken place over the years against police carelessness and brutality, which have cost numerous people their lives.
