How St. Mike’s Criminology program became an unofficial pipeline for South Burlington Police

It may be more happenstance than by design that six Saint Michael’s College alumni are currently employed by the South Burlington Police Department. But the prevalence speaks to the special relationship between the organizations. 

What’s taught in the classroom at St. Mike’s complements the real-world work deployed by officers and staff at SBPD, who share a progressive policing approach. Some officers have even come to campus to teach classes in the Criminology program, bringing those real-world examples into the learning process. 

Saint Michael’s Fire & Rescue student volunteers also have a leg up in understanding the unique demands of a career as an emergency responder. 

The relationship between the College and the police department started before the Criminology program at St. Mike’s came to be, but it has continued to develop and strengthen over time – even as rhetoric around police’s role in the community has changed.  

Corporal Darren Beers ’99 (left) and Sergeant Martin Maloney ’18 (right) – both Saint Michael’s College alumni working at the South Burlington Police Department – pose on the College campus with the department’s fall 2024 intern, St. Mike’s Criminology student Sarah Gardella ’26 (center). (Source: Saint Michael’s College Boucher Career Education Center Instagram)

Policing is evolving, and St. Mike’s and South Burlington PD are heeding the call 

Criminology and Psychology student Sarah Gardella ’26 came of age amidst the George Floyd protests and calls for defunding the police. Her dream job: to work for the Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted.  

Gardella initially questioned whether to accept an internship at a police department to fulfill the internship requirement for her Criminology major. Ultimately, she decided to keep an open mind and a willingness to challenge her own preconceptions. 

Gardella was positioned within the Bureau of Investigations at the South Burlington Police Department during her fall 2024 internship. She immediately found officers who cared about their community and about doing their best during what is often the worst day for the people they encounter. She gained empathy and a higher appreciation for what officers face day-to-day. She experienced ride-alongs, was cussed at by a person confronted by police, talked with restorative justice volunteers, conducted officer surveys and helped write marketing materials. 

And, after hearing from South Burlington officers in her Theories of Crime class and taking a class on restorative justice, she witnessed what she was taught being implemented in person. 

Deputy Chief Sean Briscoe of the South Burlington Police Department is a frequent guest speaker in Saint Michael’s College Criminology classes. (Photo by April Barton)

Restorative justice, crisis workers responding in tandem with police, and a focus on the mental health of officers are all practices that Saint Michael’s students learn about in Criminology courses – and that are put into practice in South Burlington. These modern approaches which center human dignity and seek non-punitive resolution for minor infractions have shown to be effective.  

South Burlington is the only department in the state to have a restorative justice program – in this case the Community Justice Center – housed within the station itself. It’s an asset, according to Deputy Chief of Police, Sean Briscoe, who was skeptical when he first came to South Burlington following 26 years policing in upstate New York. 

Now: “I am all in,” he said. “The CJC is an amazing addition to the police department and justice system in Chittenden County.”  

Briscoe, who often serves as a guest lecturer at St. Mike’s, said the restorative justice work makes officers’ jobs easier. He was heartened to see the City of South Burlington step up and foot the bill when funding waned while the state was working out where to deploy community justice centers across the state. 

A focus on restorative justice 

Restorative justice is a process that allows a low-level or first-time offender to bypass the traditional criminal justice and court system if they seek to understand the impact their action had on others and work to repair that harm. 

At the Community Justice Center, the nine-year average for those who completed the program was nearly 95%. The recidivism rates (the rate at which the person re-offends) were 10% (6% for a different offense, 4% for the same offense). By comparison, recidivism rates without restorative justice were 44% for those on probation and 87% for those who were incarcerated. 

“To be someone who has caused harm and to be able to hear about how their actions impacted the person harmed directly and make things right is powerful,” said Josef Lavanway, Director of South Burlington’s Community Justice Center. “Coupled with building community connection, responsible parties understand the impacts on our community and feel like they are a part of the community.” 

Restorative justice combined with crisis workers from the Howard Center, which respond to calls with South Burlington police in situations when mental health issues may be a factor, have resulted in responses that don’t rise to the level of an arrest, which in the past may have been the case. 

Gardella said she has a huge interest in the system, and the insights she gained from seeing it from within were eye-opening. 

“If my path did take me along the policing route, my end goal would be to make changes within,” she said. “Because I do think you need good people running it, and if you’re not going to be that person willing to stand up, how is that change going to occur?” 

From Fire & Rescue to Parks Patrol to Officer 

Since graduating from Saint Michael’s College in 2018, Martin Maloney’s career with the South Burlington Police Department has taken him from evening patrol officer to detective to sergeant. He credits some of his preparation for police work to being on the Rescue Team at St. Mike’s as a trained EMT and to the service-oriented Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) trips he took while in school.  

Maloney said the skills and lifestyle of Fire & Rescue student volunteers transfer well to police work – from similar job duties, to shift work, responding to calls, and serving the community. He said students are very well trained and highly motivated. 

“It’s as close to a full-time department as you can get as a college student,” Maloney said.  

Officer Lucas Petruzziello ’24 (left) and Sergeant Martin Maloney ’18 (right) are both Saint Michael’s College grads who went on to become officers with the South Burlington Police Department. (Photo by April Barton)

Even now, Maloney continues to volunteer with St. Mike’s Rescue program and sometimes serves as a guest speaker in Criminology classes, maintaining that close connection between the College and SBPD. It doesn’t hurt his wife is Rescue Chief Shannon Maloney.  

Another feeder program is South Burlington’s Beach and Parks Patrol. These bike patrol ambassadors issue parking tickets as well as provide monitoring, assistance and information to help maintain peace in public spaces during the summer. It’s a great summer job for a college student, Maloney said, and an excellent segue into policing.  

“It’s a really good opportunity for the organization [SBPD] to get to know them and for them to see if it’s something they want to get themselves into,” Maloney said.  

Last summer, two St. Mike’s students participated in the bike patrol program, and both went on to pursue training to become South Burlington police officers. Lucas Petruzziello ’24 was one of those, strapped with a bicycle and a radio.  

“I fell in love with this department. I spent a lot of time with the officers here,” he said of his experience on Parks Patrol. “I respected all of them and wanted to do what they were doing.” 

Benefits of a college degree – any degree – for policing 

There was no Criminology program while Sgt. Maloney was at St. Mike’s. His degree was in Neuroscience. He said faculty catered his course content to his interests which included understanding the physiological impacts of drug addiction and mental illness. 

His work in STEM research has continued to be useful.  

“Having that fine attention to detail is very important for police work, obviously, and in my role as a detective that became even more and more evident,” he said. 

Psychology and Sociology courses gave Maloney a greater understanding of human nature. 

“Understanding how people think and what motivates people is really valuable whether you’re in an interrogation room or on the street trying to negotiate with someone who has barricaded themselves or is holding someone hostage,” Maloney said. 

The Saint Michael’s College and South Burlington Police Department Connection: Corporal Darren Beers’ 99 (left), Criminology student and police department intern Sarah Gardella ’26 and Sergeant Martin Maloney ’18. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Gardella)

Deputy Chief Briscoe said having any college degree is beneficial as a police officer.  

“We find that those that have taken the time to dedicate themselves to their education, and the time to logically solve issues and think their way through a problem make better problem-solvers as police officers,” Deputy Chief Briscoe said. 

He said there are studies that show college-educated police officers tend to use force less, make fewer arrests because they have greater communication and negotiation skills, and are less likely to have disciplinary issues. Much of police work may not be what people perceive, Briscoe said – it’s serving the community and addressing unmet social needs, which is where many of these soft skills come in handy. 

Petruzziello became a full-blown officer in February. He came to St. Mike’s to compete in swimming and studied Political Science and Environmental Studies but said police work wasn’t on his radar. He fell in love with the service-oriented lifestyle of being part of Fire & Rescue which naturally led to Parks Patrol.  

Fifteen months into his police training, Petruzziello said it has been a very rewarding experience, which all started with St. Mike’s. The school’s commitment to being involved in serving the community made an impact. 

“The community there gives you a sense of values – of caring for the people around you,” he said. 

 In addition to policing, St. Mike’s Criminology students go on to fields in social service, law, restorative justice, and corrections. For more information about Saint Michael’s College’s Criminology program, click here.>>