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, […]
Give Your Comment on the Search for the Next Madison Chief of Police
(Photo credit: Brian Standing, WORT News) In a time when decisions over power, police, and policing are even more closely examined, WORT will host a discussion with a decision-maker in charge of the hiring, firing, and discipline over Madison’s Police and Fire Departments. The Madison Police and Fire Commission, or PFC, is a five-member board […]
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 […]
Police union issues vote of no confidence in Mayor Rhodes-Conway
Madison’s local police union revoked their support of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway today. In an open letter, the Madison Professional Police Officers Association announced a declaration of no confidence, writing “We did not make this decision easily or in haste. Instead, our vote is the culmination of many months of frustration in the absence of […]
Interim Madison Police Chief Vic Wahl on the search for a new MPD Chie...
Two weeks ago, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway gave the city’s Board of Police and Fire Commissioners ninety days to select a new Chief of Police. But according to members of the board, that timeline isn’t feasible. A draft timeline of the selection process indicates the city won’t have a new police chief until December at […]
Madison Committee Reviews Police Procedures
Photo by Mainzer-Einsatzfahrzeuge on Pixabay. The City of Madison is reviewing the standard operating procedures for its police force. Standard operating procedures are the guidelines for officers to follow while on the job. And they cover procedures for de-escalation, conduct during protests, and use of force. Last night, some members of Madison’s Public Safety […]
