In 2018, Sergeant Bellavance was involved in an incident where he used force against Jeremie Meli, a Black man, during an altercation outside a bar. The Burlington Police Department conducted an internal investigation and concluded that Bellavance’s actions were inconsistent with department training. As a result, he received a four-day suspension without pay and was later terminated from the department. The Meli brothers filed a lawsuit alleging excessive force and racial discrimination, which highlighted concerns about the department’s handling of such incidents.

[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/sergeant-bellavance-burlington-police-department/)