Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval is telling the community to avoid jumping to conclusions in the death of Tony Robinson and about the officer who shot him.
Matt Kenny, a 12-year-veteran of the MPD, was the officer who shot the 19-year-old Robinson on March 6, sparking a citywide discussion and protests since over racial disparities in policing.
In a blog post Monday, Koval noted Kenny’s more than 45 commendations and urged the public to not jump to conclusions or smear the officer’s past, just as they had not done with Robinson.
“I challenge all of those who have already formed a conclusion — one way or another — to suspend judgments that are not predicated on fact(s),” Koval wrote. “No one — including me and the members of MPD — know what findings or conclusions will be submitted to the District Attorney. And we certainly have no idea as to what the D.A’s decision will be.”
Koval said MPD’s had maintained a professional and composed response through the tough times they were facing. He noted officers have focused on avoiding arrests and maintaining a peaceful relationship with protesters.
He highlighted the “Madison Method” officers have been using, which is a way of policing that puts the safety of the protesters and the rest of the community first.
“I am proud of the fact that my officers, themselves grieving the loss of a young man and worried about one of our own colleagues, comported themselves with distinction,” Koval said.
MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said they have tried to keep protests peaceful as passionate protestors exercise their First Amendment rights.
Robinson’s death has become a nationally publicized event, which DeSpain said has led to some people misunderstanding the city’s police department and the community.
“We have a lot of people coming from outside the community and not only do they not know Madison, they don’t know the police department and they don’t know the officers that make up this police department,” DeSpain said.
In a joint statement, City Council, the Dane County Board and Madison Metropolitan School District Board members also called the city to action.
Madison community is facing serious issues with racial disparity, and it is the community’s job to address this problem, the statement said. Their goal is to become a city “where their dreams can happen, not end.”
“Many of the incidents, shootings, and deaths that we see reported on the news find their root cause in the intolerable disparity present in our community,” the statement said. “That disparity and its attendant injustice may have arisen from our history, but we allow it to continue.”
The statement included the phrase “Black lives matter,” which City Council President Chris Schmidt said was necessary to include.
“Because they do,” he said. “It needs to be said.”
Just as MPD has worked with protesters over the past weeks, City Council is hoping to work effectively with the community in order to resolve the challenge at hand, Schmidt said. Positive progress from this point forward will come only with the involvement of the community, he said.
“We are looking for discussion with the community on how to proceed and how we are going to address this challenge,” Schmidt said. “We’re not, nor should we be, trying to come up with the answers on our own.”
