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Madison council approves DOJ, state grants for police violence‑prevention work after public questions
Summary
The Madison Common Council unanimously approved two amendments to the Police Department’s 2026 operating budget to accept an $88,319 U.S. DOJ Edward Byrne JAG award and a $59,650 Wisconsin Violence Prevention Program grant after public comment and council questions about oversight and use of funds.
The Madison Common Council voted unanimously Tuesday to amend the Police Department’s 2026 operating budget to accept two grants: an $88,319 U.S. Department of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and a $59,650 Wisconsin Violence Prevention Program award. The council adopted both budget amendments after questions from alderpersons and a public comment urging closer scrutiny of police funding.
Council President Madison moved the items after they were pulled from the consent agenda for discussion. During public comment, Erica Bach of Middleton urged alderpersons to “take a deeper look” at the grants and said it was not clear what “law enforcement initiatives” the funds would support; she asked the council to oppose items 40, 41 and 42. “This DOJ grant is something that is annually applied for by the city,” Bach said, and asked whether past uses had funded surveillance technology.
Chief Patterson, speaking for the Madison Police Department, answered detailed questions about each grant. He said approximately $54,000 of the DOJ award would fund an update to MPD’s strategic plan, roughly $23,500 would sustain community police advisory boards through January 2027, and $10,008.20 reflects the portion of the award that the department historically allocates to Dane County Victim Witness under award rules. “I have no interest in FLOT cameras,” Patterson said in response to questions about surveillance technology, adding that his technology priority is body‑worn cameras and that any surveillance technology would be subject to the city’s surveillance technology ordinance.
On the state award, Chief Patterson described a community‑centered pilot developed with Dane County Public Health and the Community Safety Intervention Team (CSIT). The $59,650 grant will primarily pay overtime to allow staff to try a “deter‑and‑refer” approach that includes tailored in‑person notifications and warm handoffs to public health and other partners. Patterson said the initiative is intended to connect people at risk of retaliatory violence with services and partners in Middleton, Fitchburg and Sun Prairie. “This is a collaborative effort,” he said, noting the program will be evaluated qualitatively and by tracking the number of custom notifications.
Alder Lieberman and others pressed for more precise evaluation measures and for details about how many overtime hours the award would purchase; Patterson said he would follow up with specifics by email and emphasized the challenge of measuring prevented incidents. Several alderpersons suggested a future presentation from the Violence Prevention Unit to explain curricula and de‑escalation training and to provide further context on the prevention work cited in the grant applications.
Both items were moved, seconded and recorded as unanimous votes in favor. The council did not record a detailed roll‑call tally during the meeting.
The council concluded the agenda with brief announcements — including notices about Madison Housing Week — and adjourned.
