Members of the Bassett Street Neighborhood had their first opportunity Monday night to meet their new community officer, Mark Allen.
The position of community officer is part of a new safety plan created by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Madison Police Department.
Downtown Madison will be divided into several areas — such as the Bassett Street community — that will each be served by their own community officer.
"The idea had been to find ways to strengthen the connection between officers and downtown neighborhoods," said George Twigg, communications director for Cieslewicz. "So a key part of that is having these officers assigned."
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said members of the Bassett Street community are excited about the new police liaison position.
"In the past, they've had trouble securing cops to attend their meetings because there has not been an official liaison," Verveer said.
The Downtown Safety Initiative will be funded with $100,000 in city money. The funding was overwhelmingly approved last week by the City Council.
According to the initiative, $70,000 of the money will be used to pay for police overtime on weekends. However, Downtown Safety Initiative funds will not be used to pay for community officers.
"It's just taking resources that are currently in place and linking them more closely," Twigg said, adding the safety initiative funding may be used to pay for supplies for the community officers, such as cell phones.
Allen said he would work to make the MPD more accessible to the Bassett Street community members. He added his main focus would be on alcohol, particularly underage drinking.
"What we have been doing is ticketing those houses to assist them in making better choices," Allen said.
This will be Allen's second year as a member of the Central Community Police Team. He has served on the MPD for nine years, working as a liaison in the Mifflin Street area and as a patrol officer for the Allied Drive area.
During the meeting, some community residents expressed concern about noisy behavior on weekends during bar time.
"We are not going to be bothering, if it's a few kids — three, four kids, enjoying a beer and watching the game," Allen said. "What we do respond to is this out-of-control behavior."
The city's increased focus on safety comes after a wave of high-profile assaults in the downtown and campus area, such as last summer's muggings and the two sexual assaults last December.
"It's an aspect of the Downtown Safety Plan that hasn't received much attention," Verveer said. "For the price of a cell phone, I think that it will really pay dividends, and I'm excited that residents will now be able to go directly to a cop for an issue that doesn't require 911."
In addition to increased police visibility on weekends, the Downtown Safety Initiative also calls for the implementation of surveillance cameras in areas deemed problematic or potentially dangerous. The remaining $30,000 of the safety plan's budget will be used to buy these cameras, as well as other supplies needed to increase downtown safety.
