This weekend, someone snatched the cash drawer from the Fried & Fabulous food cart and ran off with it. Within moments, the Madison Police Department was on the scene, and collected enough evidence that it is likely the perpetrators will be caught.

This meant a lot of police were in the area. A lot of you, my customers, seemed to worry and not like this. There’s this perception that Madison police are the enemy just because you drink while underage. Having lived in Madison for almost a decade, I want to counter this perception.

Madison police are champions of community policing, where a relationship is built with the neighborhoods they serve in an effort to address the conditions that give rise to crime. Trust in the police department is paramount to that relationship. Here are my top three reasons why you should trust in the Madison Police Department, and not feel uncomfortable when officers are around:

1) Madison police are considered a model for crowd control in an era when police departments worldwide are being scrutinized for the use of force. When the Badgers beat ASU in the Elite Eight, an enormous crowd was peacefully managed by the police, while Tucson, Arizona, had quite a bit of violence and arrests. A week later, when the Badgers had a heartbreaking loss to Kentucky in the Final Four, Tucson had a representative from their police department in Madison to watch how we do it. In Ferguson, Missouri, and Hong Kong, protesters are being met with tear gas, and violence ensues. In Madison, we’re teaching other cities how to peacefully control a crowd.

2) “Pick me” behavior is the number one reason people get arrested according to one officer I spoke with. People who are fighting, passing out in bushes, urinating on cars, smoking pot in public or engaging in heated screaming arguments with strangers they just met scream, “Pick me,” to the police with their behavior. If you’re not one of those people, you have nothing to fear on a weekend night in Madison. The presence of officers should reassure you that no one is going to rob you.

3) Chief Koval is committed to making the police department better. He is a major proponent of community policing. He wants to reduce the racial disparity in the justice system. He wants marijuana to be legalized, but until then, as long as it’s a small amount in your house, you have little to worry about.

Steven Lawrence ([email protected]) is the CEO of the Fried & Fabulous food cart.