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In February 2018, a Vermont State Police trooper unlawfully arrested Gregory Bombard for swearing and giving the trooper the middle finger — speech protected by the First Amendment.

Greg was handcuffed, arrested, jailed, had his car towed, and endured a year-long criminal proceeding. Needless to say, Greg was shocked that this could all have resulted from a measly middle finger. But when he filed a lawsuit against the Vermont State Police, he learned in discovery they did not have general First Amendment policies or training about freedom of speech.

Then, in December 2023, following the , the state police retaliated against Greg again, issuing him a baseless criminal citation because swaths of outraged private citizens called the state police to complain about the initial arrest.

The Vermont State Police urgently need to institute policies to ensure no one is punished for protected speech. Vermont’s troopers must be trained to safeguard First Amendment rights. 

Join us in demanding that the Vermont State Police develop and implement policies and training programs to ensure officers understand their duty to respect our right to free speech.