Madison Police Department shares how to differentiate local and federal officers

In response to community concern, MPD provides information on ways to identify local officers, unmarked cars

by Rhea Jain

February 12, 2026

The Badger Herald archival photo of MPD police car. September 20, 2023.

The Madison Police Department posted a video on Instagram Feb. 10 to share how Madison residents can correctly identify between local police officers and federal law enforcement officers.

MPD also announced Feb. 11 new identification measures to distinguish themselves from other law enforcement, which include the specific attire that local police wear, according to a City of Madison press release.

Madison officers will wear a specific military-style uniform that will include the MPD patch, badges and will display name tags, according to the press release.

According to the MPD social media post, special identification symbols will be displayed on the uniforms, and any unmarked vehicles will have special tags or placards hanging on the windshield displaying MPD.

These changes emerge as concerns from the local community arise regarding the ways to properly identify police officers from federal law enforcement officers, according to Madison Police Public Information Officer Stephanie Fryer.

“We’ve had inquiries coming in over the last year, but we have really seen an increase in the number of people reaching out since the events in Minneapolis,” Fryer said.

According to Fryer, the department has received many questions about distinguishing between a local MPD officer and officers belonging to other agencies.

Though MPD didn’t explicitly mention any specific federal agencies, the community outreach regarding immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis pushed the department to provide information on how to tackle these situations, Fryer said.

This change provides clarity and transparency for local residents as these changes were prompted through community feedback to their community representatives, like Alders, the Mayor’s office and other community leaders, according to Fryer.

In light of the recent events in Minneapolis, fear around the questioning of the immigration status of individuals has become a topic of discussion, Fryer said.

In the MPD standard operating procedure, MPD officers will not ask for one’s immigration status when serving the community, as the MPD services are accessible to everyone, Fryer said.

“I want to stress that we as a department have core values, and we strive to make sure that those core values are shown in every interaction we have with our community members,” Fryer said.