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Madison council hears police's fourth-quarter report showing declines in several crime categories; alderquestions focus on detox, overdoses and data breakdowns
Summary
Madison's police chief presented a fourth-quarter 2025 report showing decreases in shots-fired incidents, overdoses and property crimes compared with a three-year average; alderpersons pressed the department for updates on downtown detox capacity, overdose fatalities and more granular offense and geography breakdowns. No formal council action was taken on the report.
Madison's police chief presented the department's fourth-quarter 2025 report to the Common Council on Feb. 24, telling alderpersons that "there was 117 instances of shots fired compared to the 3 year average of 154" — a 24% decrease — and that opioid overdoses were down about 16.5% compared with the three-year average.
The report, introduced as legislative file 89,185, also showed sizable declines in several property-crime measures: robberies fell in the double digits, burglaries were down roughly 42% and stolen-auto incidents decreased by nearly half, the chief said. The chief credited data-driven tactics, partnerships with public-health and violence-prevention units and expanded community outreach for recent gains.
Why it matters: Alders used the council's question period to press for context and follow-up data that could influence public-safety spending and interagency coordination. Several members asked whether changes in detox availability and other service capacity were…
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