Hi all,
I hope this finds you well and settling into summer. School's out, the splash pad at Elver is open and the city is full of fun opportunities! I just want to update you on a few things MPD has going on this summer and then close with an opportunity for community involvement.
Strategic Plan
This summer, as you may have heard, MPD is busy at work on a city wide strategic plan where all districts focus on implementing preventive tactics to reduce shots fired and stolen autos by 15%. We will be utilizing data analysis to identify both hot spots of activity and involved offenders and then deploy a host of strategies (high visibility, focused operations, education, foot patrol etc.) to try and reduce these incidents.
We are also working diligently to provide extra traffic enforcement along two key stretches of roadway: Mineral Point Rd all the way west to Pioneer Rd and the Beltline, from Whitney Way west to Middleton. Again, the goal is a 15% reduction in traffic crashes in those areas. I know that all of you reading this likely have stories to tell about near misses with other vehicles moving in very hazardous ways. I've heard from many of you and experienced it myself, so it is something that we take very seriously.
Sadly, there was a fatal accident just last week on 6/7/22 in the 7600 block of Mineral Point Rd. Our officers will be in that area for the foreseeable future taking a pro-active stance focusing on hazardous moving violations like speeding and red signal violations. I know that Mineral Point Rd. and the Beltline are not the only corridors where hazardous driving is occurring, so we will continue to focus on other areas as we are able. Remember, you can always file complaints online at https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/traffic/enforcement/.
I read all of these and I know that our colleagues on TEST (Traffic Enforcement and Safety Team) do as well.
I will keep you updated on our efforts. We rely heavily on our community to be good partners so if you have a complaint, please tell us. If you have suggestions, email me: kbeckett@cityofmadison.com.
Community Involvement Opportunities!
In other news, I want to also highlight an opportunity for community involvement occurring this summer and into the fall. There are many ways to get involved and I will use some of this space to highlight them as the summer progresses. First up is an opportunity from the Southwest Madison Action Committee. Read more about it below:
Are you searching for ways to re-connect with your neighbors, intrigued about elevating resources in SW Madison, or loving where you live and wanting to re-invigorate your neighborhood group? The Southwest Madison Action Coalition (SMAC) is hosting community gatherings to inspire you to Love Your Neighborhood. Through a series of 6 interactive sessions that include lunch, there will be an opportunity to share, learn and plan with your neighbors on how to be effective advocates for SW Madison. Attendees will have the opportunity for input for each session to determine how future topics will be presented.
Each Saturday session will be held at Good Shepard Church, 5701 Raymond Rd, 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. Lunch is provided through Good Shepard's Holy Cow volunteers. To RSVP for the sessions, use the QR code on the SMAC flyer when you see one, or simply go to the southwestmadison.org website to register. Sessions are July 9, July 23, Aug 13, Sept 10, Oct 8, and Nov 12. For questions, contact Chair Courtney Carlson at the SMAC website.
Talk with you all again very soon. Be safe.