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Madison police ask for cash
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Also by Anthony Morgano:
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- Madison police ask for cash (September 25, 2007)
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- Wray accepts position as police chief (October 22, 2004)
- MPD reduces police officers (November 20, 2006)
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by Anthony Morgano
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
In an effort to garner support for the request for 30 new police officers by 2009, the Madison Police Department gave a presentation to the City Council Monday outlining how the new officers would be utilized.
Police Chief Noble Wray and Assistant Chief Randy Gaber spoke at the meeting in hopes the council members would vote to add new officers to the 2008 budget. The presentation explained the breakdown of the police department, specifically the roles of patrol officers, neighborhood officers and the community policing team officers, the last of which have only been added in the last three years.
According to Wray, the answer is "not to throw more blue out there." Rather, the department seeks to strike a balance by strengthening trust-based relationships between officers and the community and assessing specific neighborhoods to determine which kind of officer would be most beneficial.
"We're trying to move away from a random way of assigning people," Wray said.
He also added more specifically that 6-12 officers would be used to fill the needs submitted by the police captains, in addition to adding six detectives to follow up on burglaries, sexual assault and gang-related crime.
Wray said these officers would be available by early June 2008.
However, Gaber said there would be difficulties involved in determining the number and type of officers needed in each area of the city.
The council reacted in turn with inquiries about the nature of tracking police effectiveness as a means of determining where more officers are needed.
According to Gaber, a computer-aided dispatcher is able to track all reactive duties such as responses to calls. However, from that data, he said, "they are only able to figure out the reactive stuff." The other needs involving proactive and coactive duties, such as crime prevention and community involvement, fall "to the bottom of the list."
"A lot has been stated over the year … about the value of a neighborhood officer," said Wray, adding these 11 officers have been received warmly by the citizens of Madison.
City Council members raised questions regarding complaints of their constituents, including concerns that the police did not respond to calls, or that they did not think the police were visible enough.
"I want to know that the people who are footing this bill are getting something out of it," Ald. Julia Kerr, District 13, said.
Despite the concerns of City Council members, the MPD hopes to have a police force more tailored to specific districts starting in 2008. In turn, the police department foresees a reduction of complaints from citizens about lack of response from the MPD in their neighborhoods.
The mayor will officially introduce the proposal for the additional 30 officers for a vote from the City Council Oct. 2.
Anonymous (September 25, 2007 @ 10:05am):
WHY DONT THEY FINE STATE BAR?!?!?
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