Madison council hears police's fourth-quarter report showing declines in several crime categories; alderquestions focus on detox, overdoses and data breakdowns

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 shifting demand onto patrol resources and emergency departments, and whether the department could provide more detailed breakdowns of offense types and geographic distributions.

Alder Rivera thanked the department for adding Neighborhood Resource Officers in the Central District and asked about downtown plans for a possible detox service at the former Journey Mental Health site (referred to in discussion as "Jake's Place"). The chief said he had not received recent operational updates on that project but that Tellurian had been pursuing options; he added that Assistant Chief Ty has been tasked with tracking officer time spent in emergency departments and that the department could produce a comparative analysis for 2026. "We can absolutely try to do that," the chief said when Rivera asked that the findings be included in the next quarterly report.

Alder Pritchett asked how many overdoses in Q4 resulted in death; the chief replied, "We had 4 in the fourth quarter," and said there were 19 overdose deaths for the year. The chief offered to supply age-range details on request.

Council leadership and other members sought more clarity about the composition of the reported figures. The council president asked whether self-inflicted shootings were included in the "shots fired" totals and suggested separating those incidents from public-street events to give the public a clearer picture; the chief said the department could parse the data to show classifications and recommended retaining prevention-focused discussion in regular violence-prevention meetings.

Alder Figueroa Cole pressed the department on reporting categories, noting that the human-trafficking offense line read zero in the packet. The chief said the report reflects offense (charged) data and suggested bringing the special victims unit lieutenant to a future meeting to provide context; he agreed to provide additional detail on DUI subcategories, kidnapping/abduction norms and geographic breakdowns of disorderly-conduct incidents.

On litigation and vehicle theft, an attorney on the dais provided a brief status update that a trial related to easy-to-steal vehicles is scheduled in April for the Madison portion and that a two-week trial is set in California; the chief added that anti-theft device failures were a recurring theme in the quarter.

Other items: Council members asked the department to expand public education on available tools such as the Speeders hotline and discussed the timing and potential match requirements for an anticipated COPS hiring grant. The council did not take formal action on the report itself; members asked for follow-up materials and additional data in subsequent reports.

The meeting had previously adopted the consent agenda by unanimous voice vote and introduced two items from the floor (Legistar 92,053, a $70,000 Madcap appropriation to be referred to finance, and Legistar 91,958, an appeal of a Landmarks Commission decision) for referral to the indicated committees.