BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Burlington police say their officers showed "exceptional professional" during a clash with protestors last month.
That's their verdict after a lengthy investigation and a just released report.
The clash happened July 29th during a conference for New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. Most of the day, the protests had been peaceful but that changed when the conference attendees wanted to go to dinner.
Click here to read the report
Police say officers tried to get protestors to move to allow busses to leave a hotel. Those busses were filled with people involved in the conference.
Police say protestors had been planning all along for things to get violent. Officers say the group had divided by who "wished to do things to get arrested." They say protestors were ready, wearing goggles, masks, and holding flags with nails exposed.
In the report, police say the officers asked the protestors to move and only tried to arrest them when they didn't. Police say protestors resisted, became aggressive, and even appeared to go after officers.
It was only at that point, police say crowd control devices, including pepper balls, were fired. That allowed the busses to leave and police say that's when the clash fizzled out.
The report includes recommendations including better coordination during major events and to use more officers to make arrests.
Police say the criminal investigation continues to see if the protestors broke any laws.
