Opinion

Unite the force

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The Madison City Council has visited (and revisited) a slew of half-baked proposals this year, which makes it all the more refreshing to see an idea grounded in common sense, like Ald. Ken Golden’s plan to investigate combining the city, UW, and Capitol police forces.

His proposal is still in the early stages, and it would be imprudent to pass judgment for or against a merger of the three departments at this time. That said, it seems there is an inherent possibility for cost savings and service efficiency when three law-enforcement agencies with overlapping jurisdictions combine.

To be frank, there is a perception that the UW police force is less experienced and less professional than its peers patrolling State Street. Many students feel UW police are more concerned about busting pot smokers and boozehounds in the Southeast dorms than with nighttime student safety and vandalism.

Perhaps centralizing law enforcement would redirect campus priorities and help put the focus back where it belongs. It is hard to argue that the UW police have an “irreplaceable feel for the campus pulse” when city police have effectively established community relationships through their own community policing efforts, especially in the downtown area.

To reiterate, the city must closely analyze all the costs and benefits such a proposal may bring before taking any action, and there will surely be resistance from people with something to lose. But the city’s analysis must focus on potential net benefits and must not be hampered by the stubbornness of any official to change.

The city must also be leery of those who would play the shell game of hiding true savings or inefficiencies by shifting costs around from one governmental body to another. As a state budget crisis looms, potential savings and synergies must be found among various state, city, and university budgets — not just between neighboring municipalities.

Who knows if a police merger would be practical, feasible, or cost-efficient in the long run? But we are pleased to see the city spending time on an issue with promise.