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Interim Police Chief presents quarterly data; department reports declines in several crime categories
Summary
Interim Chief John Patterson presented the Madison Police Department fourth-quarter report, showing reductions in shots‑fired incidents, robberies and burglaries year‑to‑year, and outlined staffing, use‑of‑force and restorative justice data.
Interim Chief John Patterson presented the Madison Police Department’s fourth‑quarter report to the council on Feb. 25, highlighting year‑over‑year reductions in several crime categories and summarizing use‑of‑force, training and staffing data.
Patterson said shots‑fired incidents in the fourth quarter fell 5.4% from the prior quarter and that the city recorded a drop of more than 20% in shots‑fired incidents compared with an earlier year highlighted in a public safety address. Robberies fell 22.8% quarter‑to‑quarter and burglaries were down 12% from the prior quarter. The department saw an increase in stolen‑auto reports in the quarter but remained down on the year when compared to 2023 totals.
The chief reviewed use‑of‑force statistics (58 incidents in the quarter, 305 during the year) and described how each incident is reviewed against policy and training. He also noted 30 new patrol officers graduated and joined patrol in February and pointed to the department’s restorative‑justice referrals for 12‑ to 16‑year‑olds; those juveniles receive restorative justice referrals rather than municipal citations.
Council members asked about the department’s body‑camera pilot and about impaired‑driving involvement in serious crashes. Patterson said the pilot report had been submitted to council late last year and that, absent budget instructions, there were no immediate plans for deployment; he said the department would await capital and operating budget direction. On impaired driving, Patterson said specifics about alcohol involvement in serious crashes could be provided from the crash reports.
The chief said the department posts changes to standard operating procedures and disciplinary outcomes to the department website and provides them for council review, and he encouraged alder questions or suggestions for the quarterly report format.
No formal council action was required on the presentation.
