2020 has been a big year for Madison. Today, Wednesday host Ali Muldrow spends the hour with Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway to take stock and openly discuss issues facing the city, with the input of listener callers. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that covers topics like racial injustice in Wisconsin, the mayor’s opinion of the Madison Police […]
Community Input on Madison’s Next Chief of Police
The Madison Police and Fire Commission is currently in the process of selecting the next Madison Chief of Police, and they’re asking for community input. Today, WORT news director Chali Pittman guest hosts for the hour with PFC Commissioner Mary Schauf to learn about the process and take listener calls and feedback to be entered […]
City Finance Committee pauses vote on 1033 program
The Federal 1033 program allows police departments to purchase surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Critics say it’s helped militarize police departments across the nation since then. “Beginning in the nineties, there was this ramping up of the idea that police were waging a war on crime. And one of the ways this war […]
Local business owners express concern over demonstrations
Overall violent crime rates downtown and along the State Street area are down from this time last year, according to Madison Police Captain Kelly Donahue. Speaking to an assembly of Downtown Business Leaders earlier today, Donahue attributed the drop to COVID-19. “There was no significant increase, obviously in some areas like burglary, we had a […]
Roundtable: Reforming the MPD and Alternatives to Policing
The growing movement to defund the police and nationwide demands for police accountability have a history in Madison as well. Today, Allen hosts a roundtable discussion about local police practices, ongoing efforts to reform the MPD, and alternatives to policing with Brandi Grayson of Urban Triage, alder Rebecca Kemble from the Madison Common Council, and […]
A spike in fender benders? MPD issues accountability report
The Madison Police Department has released its accountability report for 2019. The report details internal conduct violations, use of force information and formal complaints issued against department officers. The MPD has faced criticism in the past for its lack of transparency. Last October, a citizen Ad Hoc Committee suggested 177 changes to the department’s operations. […]
