Carolyn Fath Ashby
Fed up that his pleas for more police officers were being ignored, Madison police chief Mike Koval abruptly resigned on Sept. 30, 2019.
“Rather than go through the literal process of torture and seeing us not get the cops we need — this seemed like the time to pull that scab and to pull it now,” Koval told Isthmus the day after he officially resigned.
The department, in fact, has complained for years about a staff shortage and what it means for public safety. Koval, last fall, said the department was 31 officers short of “appropriate staffing levels.”
“[Officers] are asking when is the cavalry coming? When can they get time off for this emotionally draining job they do day in and day out?” said Koval. “We have literally scaled back all the community policing stuff, all the educational opportunities, traffic enforcement, gang officers, you name it.”
Before he resigned, Koval eliminated 12 specialized positions and put those officers back on patrol, starting in 2020. The city council eventually added three more officer positions in the 2020 budget — seven fewer than what the department requested. The new hires, plus the reassignments, still leave the police department 16 officers short of what Koval said is needed.
Yet it is likely the police department will be shipping 50 to 100 officers to Milwaukee in July to help staff security efforts at the Democratic National Convention. Assistant Chief Paige Valenta estimates up to 20 percent of the entire police force could be utilized during the four-day political hoopla, plus three days before and after the event.
So how can Madison police manage sending 100 members of its force to assist with security at the Democratic National Convention?
“That’s a very good question,” says Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway, who did not elaborate.
Acting Chief Vic Wahl says assisting with the convention “has no relation to what our long-term, permanent authorized staffing level should be.”
“We have the capacity to put forth significant staffing on occasion throughout the year for special events...and assign a lot more officers to these events than will be assisting for the DNC,” Wahl tells Isthmus via email. “We could not staff Freakfest every day of the year, but we can staff it once a year.”
Wahl says it will place a “short-term burden” on the department’s 483 commissioned officers, who will have “restricted vacation, working days off/overtime, etc.” during the 10-day period.
“The DNC is an event of international significance, with a massive need for security — well beyond the capacity of the Milwaukee police department to handle alone,” writes Wahl. “I see a compelling reason for us to provide the assistance that Milwaukee has requested…. While we may be assisting Milwaukee in July, they may be assisting us at some point in the future.”
Sgt. Sheronda Grant, the public information officer for the Milwaukee Police Department, referred questions about policing the convention to the U.S. Secret Service, the lead federal agency in charge of providing security at the convention. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the convention a “National Special Security Event,” assigned to events that are potential targets for terrorism or criminal activity. The Secret Service did not respond to Isthmus’ request for an interview.
Source: Madison Police Departmen
It might appear that 16 new officers were added to the force, but 12 were reassigned from specialized positions to a patrol post.
Around 6,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officers assisted with security at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney confirms his office has also received requests for help. He doesn’t know the exact number of deputies needed, but estimates it will be more than 50. Beloit Daily News reported that the Beloit and Janesville police departments, as well as the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, will also be pitching in.
Milwaukee is seeking a $50 million federal grant for security expenses for the convention. The proposed agreement between Madison and Milwaukee states that the host city will foot the bill for unspecified use of Madison police equipment, and will pay officers’ salaries, benefits, transportation expenses, as well as lodging and meals for a 10-day period starting July 10. It is estimated that Madison will be reimbursed $1 million for the effort, but will have to absorb $8,000 to $10,000 in administrative costs.
Rhodes-Conway supports the agreement authorizing police officers to work the convention. She says police staff have been communicating with Milwaukee about convention security needs for several months now and she’s been assured “it won’t have an impact” on police duties here at home.
“Even though we are headed towards a contract, we still don’t know exactly what [the Milwaukee Police Department] will need, how many people, and for how long,” says Rhodes-Conway. “I have been told that our needs will come first and that’s part of the contract.”
The city’s Finance Committee and Public Safety Review Committee weighed in on the agreement this week. It is expected to receive a final vote from the city council by the end of the month.
Brenda Konkel, who chairs the public safety panel, says it does seem strange the police can take on such a large commitment given the department’s complaints about a shortage of officers.
“Every budget for the last few years there has been controversy about how many police officers we need,” says Konkel. “How do we avoid a fight over how many cops we need every year? That’s one of the big issues that I think our committee should be tackling and we intend to start doing that.”
Konkel says one sticking point is that federal grants pay for specialized officer positions for a few years, but then the city is expected to pick up the tab.
“The grants make it very easy for the council to approve because the cost isn’t felt until years later,” says Konkel. “What happens when the grants go away? We never have that discussion.”
Ald. Shiva Bidar, a member of the Finance Committee, doesn’t think providing 20 percent of the Madison police force to assist with security at the convention is related to the ongoing budget showdowns.
“I fail to understand how assisting — in the spirit of mutual aid with the biggest event of the year in our state — can be seen by anybody as anything but the right thing to do,” Bidar writes in an email.
Rhodes-Conway agrees Madison needs to be a good neighbor.
“This is just what cities do for each other,” says the mayor. “We help each other out when we have unusual needs.”
