At a meeting last October, the Madison Common Council rejected a proposed ban on tear gas. Instead, alders ordered the Madison Police Department (MPD) to conduct an internal review on their historical use of the chemical suppressant, and to research and recommend alternative methods for crowd control and de-escalation. The report was released in January, […]
In 2020, MPD deployed chemical weapons in record amounts
The Madison Police Department deployed more tear gas during Black Lives Matter protests in late May and early June than they did in the prior 16 years combined. Over just three days and nights from May 30th to June 1st, officers deployed 62 clouds of tear gas: 53 canisters of tear gas thrown by hand […]
City Council punts ban on tear gas
Speaking on the very first first night of protests in Madison in May, Interim Police Chief Vic Wahl said that the department’s use of tear gas was their best method for dispersing or moving a crowd — even during a pandemic. Exposure to tear gas, and to pepper spray, can cause burning and teary eyes, […]
