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Council approves DOJ grant for Dane County narcotics task force amid equity and oversight concerns
Summary
The Common Council approved an amendment to the Police Department operating budget to accept a Wisconsin DOJ Law Enforcement Drug Trafficking Response Grant to support the Dane County Narcotics Task Force; alders asked for race‑disaggregated enforcement data and for clearer oversight structures, and Alder Martinez Rutherford recorded a no vote.
The Madison Common Council approved legisar 92335, amending the Police Department's 2026 operating budget to accept and use state Department of Justice grant funds to support the Dane County Narcotics Task Force for radios, lighting and investigative equipment, while several council members raised questions about oversight and racial disparities in enforcement.
A captain who spoke for the task force described intended purchases as additional radios for rotating task‑force personnel, night surveillance lighting and replacement equipment for outdated gear. Staff said partner agencies in Dane County had accepted their portions of the grant and that the task force sought to begin work as soon as feasible.
Alder Glenn pressed staff for race‑disaggregated data on stops, searches, arrests and prosecutions associated with task‑force operations and asked whether such data could be reported mid‑grant and at completion. He cited long‑standing racial disparities in Dane County drug enforcement and urged conditioning future enforcement funding on demonstrable equity measures and oversight. The captain said the task force collects data and offered to provide the specific information requested.
Council members also asked about community oversight; staff said there is a steering committee composed of participating agency leaders (Dane County, UW Police, Madison Police and chief associations) but did not point to a civilian oversight body specifically for the task force.
The council adopted the grant authorization; Alder Martinez Rutherford cast the only recorded "no" vote. Staff characterized the award as the Department of Justice's Law Enforcement Drug Trafficking Response Grant; agenda materials listed the grant amount associated with the item as approximately $49,992.
What happens next: Staff agreed to provide the race‑disaggregated enforcement data requested by Ald. Glenn, and the police department will coordinate reporting and oversight information while implementing the grant purchases.
