Woodstock places police chief on paid leave pending Vermont State Police probe

Woodstock Police Chief Joe Swanson has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by Vermont State Police, according to Eric Duffy, Woodstock’s municipal manager.

Duffy, in a press release issued Tuesday, stated that Swanson was placed on administrative  leave earlier in the day “as a precaution following a report of his alleged involvement in an incident” on Sunday.

State police will be conducting the investigation, the release added.

“The Town and Village of Woodstock is committed to ensuring that complaints regarding our police officers are addressed in an appropriate fashion,” Duffy said in the release. “The Vermont State Police will have full cooperation as they conduct their investigation.”

Duffy, reached by phone late Tuesday afternoon, said he could not comment regarding the nature of the incident or of Swanson’s “alleged involvement” pending the outcome of the state police investigation.

“I don’t want to say anything publicly that will influence the investigation,” Duffy said. “What I can say is the Vermont State Police has agreed to investigate this for us and once they’re completed with their investigation the town will be happy to speak more to the outcome of the investigation.”

Duffy said there was no timetable for how long the investigation was expected to take.

Adam Silverman, a state police spokesperson, said in an email late Tuesday afternoon that the law enforcement agency has assigned a detective from outside the area to conduct the criminal investigation that involves the Woodstock police chief.

Woodstock Police Sgt. Christopher O’Keefe has been named acting police chief as the state police investigate the matter, according to Duffy’s press release.

Swanson became Woodstock’s police chief in July 2023, according to an article from the Valley News at that time.

Swanson had first worked for the police department as a part-time officer in 2000, joined the department full time in 2007, and in 2014 he was promoted to sergeant, the article added.

He was also a former chair of the town’s selectboard, according to the article.

Efforts to reach Swanson late Tuesday afternoon were not successful.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Woodstock places police chief on paid leave pending Vermont State Police probe .