When I stepped into the role of Interim Police Chief in September of 2013, after Chief Wray retired, my goal was to continue the tradition of policing excellence that is the Madison Police Department through this time of transition of hiring a new Chief. As I reflect on how our department has responded during this transition period I am very proud of all of our employees in their unwavering commitment to provide the best quality service to our community. I have witnessed first-hand how countless employees have stepped up to help ensure we did not miss a beat in meeting our high expectations both internally and externally. I would be remiss if I did not thank them all for the work they did during the transition and continue to do every day.
I am further impressed with how our community here in Madison continues to get involved with their police department with the shared goal of creating a quality of life here in Madison in which we can all be proud. They say it "takes a village to raise a child." I firmly believe the same is true for much of what we do here with our policing philosophy. We are a better organization when we police with the community, not to the community. It is the collective work that we do with our citizens and stakeholders that truly make a difference in our society.
As I now return to my Assistant Chief position that I have held for the last 9 years, I will do so with the same drive, dedication and commitment that I have carried for the last seven months as Interim Chief and throughout my career here at MPD. I would also like to congratulate Chief Mike Koval on his well-deserved appointment as our new Police Chief as well as express my appreciation to Lieutenant Mike Hanson, Captain Joe Balles and Captain Carl Gloede. We were fortunate to have such passionate and quality individuals from within our organization seek this leadership position. I am confident we will all work together to ensure the transition to a new Chief goes smoothly.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has supported me and our department during this transition period and my time as Interim Chief. I have been taken back by the e-mails, cards and letters of support from community members, City staff, area law enforcement leaders and of course members of the MPD family. For this I will be forever grateful. I have truly enjoyed my time as Interim Chief of Police for the Madison Police Department and look forward to continuing to work for this great department.