Friends and Neighbors,
This week the Common Council finalized the 2023 City budget. There are many parts of this budget that will have profoundly positive impacts on the Madison Police Department. I am tremendously thankful for the work of Mayor Rhodes-Conway and the Alders for crafting a thoughtful budget that will further MPD's efforts to become a national leader in community-oriented policing.
First, MPD was approved to accept a grant from the US Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office. This grant will allow MPD to focus on an initiative to build trust and legitimacy with the youth of our City, and will fund six new officer positions that will be focused on this important work. I am thankful that leaders in our community came to publically comment on the value of this project, and we heard time and time again about how MPD officers can create a positive impact through this initiative. I was particularly proud to have Judge Everett Mitchell, the presiding judge for Dane County's Juvenile Division, lend his support to MPD on this topic and call for increased support of youth in Madison.
Additionally, MPD was able to secure additional support for our civilian workforce through an increase in staffing in the MPD Records Section. The Records Section processes thousands of requests a year, and has worked diligently to process records that have come to the City of Madison after the attachment of the Town of Madison. This additional support will allow our department to be more responsive to public requests, which is critical to the goal of transparency in our Department.
MPD was also able to attain $175,000 in grant funding for the expansion of our mental health and wellness programs, and will be able to work with a Wellness Coordinator to support our personnel. An additional $175,000 in grant funding will be used in conjunction with the Madison Community Policing Foundation (MCPF) to create Community Policing Advisory Boards in each of MPD's six districts. These boards will be a diverse cadre of community members from each of our districts who will help direct MPD officers in their community outreach and relationship building efforts. I am proud of the work that MPD staff put in to the grant applications that secured these funds, and want to give a particular thank you to MPD grant manager Jim Powell for his tireless efforts on these projects.
Throughout the budget process, my message has remained clear and consistent. Every dollar invested in the Madison Police Department is a dollar invested in our community. Our sworn and civilian staff work hard every day to build trust, legitimacy, and positive relationships in our community and the 2023 City of Madison budget reflects this. MPD will use every resource we have to make our department a national leader in community-oriented policing, and we will be tireless in our efforts to reduce crime and increase public safety in a data-informed way. Thank you all for your support of the Madison Police Department and I am looking forward to a successful and productive year to come!
-Chief Shon F. Barnes