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Category: Crime and safety

Johns Hopkins U. Paused Its Plans for a Campus Police Force. 2 Years Later, Resistance Is Stronger Than Ever.

Chronicle of Higher Ed

Kristen Roman, chief of police at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said that for colleges, one of the advantages of having a police department is that officers are more familiar with the institution’s particulars.“

As a community member, I myself would rather have somebody in a police role who is invested and understands some of the unique challenges of my community,” said Roman, who serves as director-at-large of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators’ Board of Directors

Madison will require reviews when police use tear gas to control crowds

Wisconsin Public Radio

An independent investigator will need to produce a report the next time Madison police use tear gas to control crowds.

The ordinance approved by the city’s Common Council on a 14-4 vote Tuesday night is a softened version of an outright ban on tear gas, originally proposed by Alder Juliana Bennett.

Bennett, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student, told the council Tuesday she vomited after being tear-gassed by police while protesting in Madison during the summer after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

UW-Madison Police make arrest, reports of assaults on campus

Daily Cardinal

Marc Lovicott, the Executive Director of Communications for the UWPD explained, “… our one report came to us in early September. We made the decision to share photos on social media which we believed would help us identify the suspect. And that’s ultimately how we are able to make an arrest — through community tips”.

Reconciling antisemitism and free speech on college campuses

San Diego Union Tribune

At my alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Madison, the fall semester is off to an inauspicious start. Administrators there are calling for “civility and kindness” after antisemitic messages were written on campus sidewalks in seven different locations. The chalkings labeled Jewish student groups as “racist,” “genocidal,” and “having blood on their hands.”

Police cite 137 at Downtown Madison bar

Wisconsin State Journal

During the week when UW-Madison students were moving into dorms or returning to other campus housing, Madison and UW-Madison police on Thursday issued 137 underage drinking and fake ID citations at a single State Street bar.

Madison readies ‘Isthmus Safety Initiative’ to address gun violence, sexual assault

Wisconsin State Journal

The project area is the Downtown entertainment area in and around State Street from Capitol Square to the edge of UW-Madison at North Lake Street, and two to three blocks on either side of State Street. The primary focus is weekend nights when people are frequenting bars, especially on Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. and during special events.

’30 by 30′ calls for 30% of police recruits to be women by the year 2030

NPR

Noted: This is the second year on the job for Patrol Officer Nicole Schmitgen. She patrols Madison’s Central District around the state capitol and part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. She says while people think policing is about guns and drugs and driving fast, it’s more about communication and helping people.

University of Wisconsin law professor Keith Findley is a member of Madison’s Police Civilian Oversight Board. He says there’s a plethora of research that shows women on the force have a positive impact on police departments and communities. He says they are often better at communicating and de-escalating tense situations.

“They are sued less frequently than their male counterparts,” Findley says. “They make fewer discretionary arrests, especially of non-white residents. They use force less frequently and excessive force less frequently than their male counterparts.”

UW-Madison interim chancellor offers support to students after recent attacks near campus

WKOW-TV 27

UW-Madison continues to offer support for its students after four suspects were taken into custody for recent attacks on UW students and others.

UW Interim Chancellor John Karl Scholz said in an announcement that UW–Madison and the UW Police Department continue to work with the Madison Police Department to support the victims and understand what occurred during the recent attacks. Following these incidents, UWPD and Madison Police are increasing their presence in the downtown area.

Open letter to UW-Madison leaders calls for action following attack on international student near campus

Wisconsin Public Radio

After the Madison Police Department concluded a recent attack on an international doctoral student was not racially motivated, an open letter from a group of Asian students, professors and teaching assistants is calling for the University of Wisconsin-Madison urge the department and the Dane County District Attorney’s office to investigate more thoroughly.