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INTRODUCTION

The Madison Police Department’s Community Outreach and Resource Education

(CORE) unit was launched in June 2016 under a Community Oriented Policing

Services hiring grant. The unit was initially created with two officers and one

sergeant; in 2017, CORE was expanded to five officers and one sergeant with an

additional, federal grant. In addition to the CORE team, Community Outreach

also houses the MPD Crime Prevention / Crime Stoppers / Social Media

Coordinator position and the Mental Health Unit. The activities of the Mental

Health Unit are covered in a separate annual report.

The CORE team was created to serve myriad needs in Madison, including

breaking down trust barriers between the community and the police department,

building relationships with youth, and working to reduce racial disparities in

arrest rates. CORE remains committed to those principles, four years into the

team’s existence. The unit works collaboratively with community partners to

create opportunities in which youth can interact with officers in a low-key, non-

enforcement space. CORE continues to create, host, and take part in positive

youth programming efforts.

CORE hosted two youth academies in the summer of 2019, for young people

entering 7th and 8th grade. This is the ninth year in which MPD has offered free

youth academies, and the first year in which CORE offered a Leadership Camp

for youth enrolled in Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR)

summer school. See “Flagship Programs” for a detailed overview of the MPD

youth academies. In keeping with CORE’s mission to positively engage middle

school youth, the team worked with youth from Toki, Sennett, Wright,

Whitehorse, Sherman, Jefferson, O’Keeffe, Blackhawk, Cherokee, Hamilton and

Badger Rock Middle Schools as well as all four Madison high schools in 2019.

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CORE is uniquely suited to engage youth and families in Madison by virtue of

language proficiency; the team currently has members fluent in Hmong, Spanish,

English, and French. CORE utilizes the power of shared language to create and

cultivate connections with non-English speakers in the community. Members of

the unit worked with Spanish-speaking youth through Juventud, an after-school

program, and via programming at Centro Hispano on Madison’s south side.

CORE also teamed up with the Hmong Institute, with one team member serving

as an adjunct instructor for the Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment

Program (HLCEP).

CORE reaches elementary school children through Safety Saturday and Safety

Town, both of which are partnerships with the Madison Fire Department. The

CORE team also hosts MPD’s annual Community Academy, a six-week evening

program for adults who are interested in learning about Madison Police

operating practices and personnel. In spring 2020, CORE is offering an

additional one day Community Academy; the team hopes to reach new audiences

and engage more community members in this effort.

Lastly, the CORE team serves as the nexus between MPD and restorative justice

efforts in the community. In 2019, CORE worked collaboratively with the

Children’s Center for Law and Policy (CCLP) on direct referrals, a new Youth

Contacts SOP, and future training slated for 2020. The Community Outreach

team continued to work with Briarpatch Youth Services, YWCA Madison and

Dane County Timebank, all of whom facilitate restorative justice processes for

youth 12-16 years of age cited by MPD for municipal ordinance offenses. The

CORE team also took over referring municipal candidates to Community

Restorative Court, available to 17-25 year olds cited or arrested by MPD for any of

5 qualifying offenses. These efforts and more are explored under “Restorative

Initiatives.”

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MISSION

The Community Outreach and Resource Education (CORE) Team mission is to

enhance the Madison Police Department's efforts to reduce disproportionate

arrests related to racial disparities and improve trust and perception of fairness

through procedural justice, community outreach, education and problem solving.

OBJECTIVES

Enhance department efforts to reduce arrest racial disparities and improve

trust through procedural justice, community outreach, and problem

solving

Build relationships with youth in order to foster mutual trust and positive

police interactions, resolve conflicts, and better understand the criminal

justice system

Break down barriers between youth and police through mentoring and

leadership building

Create opportunities to engage with communities of color in a non-

enforcement capacity and facilitate conversation about the role of police

and its impact on these communities

Create and expand programs to divert youth from the criminal justice

system

Encourage the involvement of parents

Work collaboratively across districts and with outside agencies and

citizens to address quality of life and public safety issues

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MEET THE TEAM

CAPTAIN MATT TYE

Matt Tye was promoted to captain and

took over as the captain of community

outreach in December 2018. In this

role, Captain Tye oversees all of the

department’s outreach efforts, including

criminal diversion programs. His areas

of responsibility include the Mental

Health Unit, CORE, Crime Prevention,

MPD Pride, Amigos en Azul as well as

restorative justice and opioid diversion.

Capt Tye is also the grant manager for

several partnerships with Madison

Metropolitan School District to include the STOP Violence grant and the School

Justice Partnership Grant. In addition to his roles in community outreach Capt

Tye is also the field commander for MPD’s Special Events Team (SET). Prior to

being promoted to captain, he served as a patrol lieutenant, detective lieutenant,

detective and police officer. He has been with MPD for 19 years.

Photo: Captain Matt Tye, assisting with car seats at the 3rd Annual Refugee – First Responder Picnic (September 2019).

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MEET THE TEAM

SERGEANT MEG HAMILTON

Meg Hamilton is the unit’s sergeant,

and she moved into that role in

January 2019. Sgt Hamilton is a

member of Peer Support, which

provides a conduit for field personnel

to access critical incident debriefings

after significant events like homicides

and suicides. Meg is a member of

MPD Pride and Amigos en Azul; she

served as a 2019 Wanda Fullmore

intern supervisor and continues to

take on one high school or college

intern each school semester. She is a

mentor through Madison-based Intentional Mentoring, and is matched with a 14-

year-old from Jefferson Middle School. Meg takes part in the Southeast

Community Network and is the MPD liaison to adult and youth restorative justice

efforts. She has been with MPD for 13 years and is a field training sergeant when

assigned to patrol operations.

Photo: Sgt Meg Hamilton at Community Night at Leopold Park, July 2019.

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MEET THE TEAM

OFFICER ERCAN DZELIL

Officer Ercan Dzelil is a SWAT crisis

negotiator and Special Events Team

(SET) member. He is an advisor to

MPD Public Safety Corps, which is a

program for youth 14-20 who are

interested in the field of criminal

justice. Youth enrolled in this program

learn the role and work of first

responders, and volunteer for outreach

in their communities. Ercan is a “big”

through Big Brothers Big Sisters and

has been matched with his “little” for 5

years. Ercan also serves as a bike team

member and a field training officer,

preparing new officers for solo patrol. In 2019, Ercan created a new charitable

initiative, pitting MPD against the Fire Department in a friendly game of soccer.

This endeavor was supported by Forward Madison FC, and raised over $2,000

for Friends of MSCR. Ercan has been with Madison Police Department since

2016, and previously worked for the University of Wisconsin – Madison Police

Department.

Photo: Officer Ercan Dzelil with MSCR Executive Director Janet Dyer. Dzelil presented Dyer with a ceremonial check of

funds raised for MSCR from Battle of the Badges soccer match. Photo from October 2019 at Forward Madison FC.

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MEET THE TEAM

OFFICER GRACIA

RODRIGUEZ

Officer Gracia Rodriguez is the

president of Amigos en Azul, a

grassroots effort to dissolve

cultural barriers, build

partnerships and open lines of

communication between the

Latino community and the City of

Madison Police Department.

Amigos en Azul works closely

with other Dane County law

enforcement agencies, and fosters

positive outreach through the

Southside Summer Soccer Series,

car clinics, and an annual adopt-

a-family effort. Gracia is trilingual, and takes part in additional outreach through

La Movida radio station and via her membership in the Latino Support Network

and the City of Madison Latino Community Engagement Team. Gracia was

everywhere in 2019, from Tuesday Community Nights at Leopold Park to

National Night Out at Warner Park on August 6th. She was the primary organizer

of both MPD youth academies in the summer, and Gracia also took part in the

Zeidler Center’s Allied Drive Police-Resident Listening Circles. She will continue

to serve MPD as the Allied Drive Neighborhood Officer in 2020.

Photo: Officer Gracia Rodriguez at Viva Mexico Festival, September 2019 .

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MEET THE TEAM

OFFICER JODI NELSON

Officer Jodi Nelson is the chair of

MPD Pride, an LGBTQ+ resource

group comprised of LGBTQ+

employees and allies within the

Madison Police Department. Jodi

assisted with the formation of the

group and has continuously

provided support and leadership

to MPD’s diverse membership.

She presented to the Department

of Justice on LGBTQ+

competency in 2019, as well as to

other public and private

corporations. Jodi is a longtime

“big” through Big Brothers Big Sisters and works with her “little” on positive

outlets for frustration. She was MPD’s point person for Safety Town, a 2-week

summer partnership with Madison Fire for children entering kindergarten in the

fall. Jodi also spearheaded MPD’s participation in Safety Saturday, an event that

encompasses the Capitol Square and is focused on injury prevention and

educating the public. Jodi served as a Neighborhood Officer and a Gang Officer

previously, and continues to build upon the relationships she has cultivated. Jodi

is a 14-year veteran of MPD, and serves on the agency’s Honor Guard.

Photo: Officer Jodi Nelson helping Sennett Middle School youth practice their interview skills, April 2019.

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MEET THE TEAM

OFFICER JARED PRADO

Officer Jared Prado is a mentor

within MPD to pre-service

academy recruit officers, and

also serves as a youth mentor

through Intentional Mentoring.

He is a field training officer

when assigned to patrol services

and assists in pre-service

instruction. Jared is an MPD

equity team member and takes

part in the City of Madison

Racial Equity Social Justice

Initiative (RESJI), Tools and

Training Action Team. Jared is bilingual and took part as a platoon leader in

MPD’s 2019 Latino Youth Academy, and also positively engaged youth through

Juventud. He works collaboratively with the Rainbow Project and the Bridge

Lake Point Waunona (BLW) Neighborhood Center. Jared is also an adult advisor

to the Public Safety Corps, and has been with MPD since May 2010. Jared will

continue to serve within MPD in 2020 as a patrol officer on second shift, which is

noon-8pm.

Photo: Officer Jared Prado at a Tree Lane ice cream event, July 2019

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MEET THE TEAM

OFFICER LORE VANG

Officer Lore Vang serves on the

panel for applicant oral board

interviews and is certified as a

Defense and Arrest Tactics (DAAT)

and Vehicle Contacts instructor. He

is an adjunct instructor for MPD’s

pre-service academy. Lore provides

instruction on implicit bias and

cultural competency both within

MPD and to other law enforcement

agencies and public entities. Lore is

an important conduit between MPD

and the Hmong Institute; Lore takes

part in the Hmong Professional

Network and the Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment Program. He has

created an internal professional development course for MPD’s yearly summer

interns, and was a co-facilitator of the 2019 MPD Community Academy. Lore is

an MPD recruiter and serves as an Investigative Support Officer as well as with

the Honor Guard. He has been with MPD since September 2014.

Photo: Officer Lore Vang at the HLCEP Open House, July 2019.

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MEET THE TEAM – Crime Prevention | Crime Stoppers | Social Media

OFFICER TYLER GRIGG

Officer Tyler Grigg has one of the

longest titles in the Madison Police

Department, and that speaks to the

volume of roles he has undertaken.

Tyler is responsible for MPD’s social

media content on Facebook,

Instagram and Twitter. He

disseminates information about

MPD’s outreach initiatives, provides

safety tips, and publishes crime

trends and data gleaned from

detectives and crime analysts. Tyler

provides training that focuses on methods for preventing crime and encouraging

community engagement, including via the Good Neighbor Project (see Flagship

Programs for additional content). Tyler is the voice you may hear on the radio,

announcing when Madison PD is looking to identify individuals associated with

some type of crime. He tapes Crime Stoppers radio ads and sifts through

anonymous tips, liaising not only with MPD investigators but various other Dane

County law enforcement officials to solve active investigations. Tyler is an adjunct

instructor for both the pre-service academy and the department’s annual in-

service trainings, as a master instructor trainer for firearms and a state certified

instructor for use of force, tactical response, and scenarios. He has been with

MPD since 2009.

Photo: Officer Tyler Grigg talking about online safety at Edgewood Middle School, 2019.

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FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS

Latino Youth Academy

2019 was the ninth

consecutive summer that

MPD hosted the Latino

Youth Academy, with the

help of numerous other

Dane County law

enforcement partners.

The mission of the Latino

Youth Academy (LYA) is

to break down barriers and cultivate a better understanding of the role and

function of police in the Madison metropolitan area. The weeklong program is

free to youth from Dane County, and is intended for children entering 7th and 8th

grade in the fall. To participate, students have to be recommended by a teacher.

In 2019, a total of 30 students from varying middle schools were selected to take

part in LYA.

Youth attended the program Monday through Friday for six hours each day. The

LYA introduces youth to policing topics, but the participants do not have to be

interested in a law enforcement career to take part. The program is intended to

be fun and engaging, and to foster growth in teamwork and interpersonal skills.

LYA attendees also have the opportunity to explore career paths available in

Madison, and hear the personal narratives of Madisonians who have undertaken

those careers.

Photo: Carbon World Health trainers, officers and youth at Badger Rock, 2019 Latino Youth Academy.

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In 2019, MPD partnered with Fitchburg PD, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Sun

Prairie Police, and UW Madison PD as well as Fitchburg Fire, Madison Fire, and

myriad public and private entities including Badger Rock Community Center,

Carbon World Health and Badger Bus.

Photo: Platoon Leader Zulma Franco helps kids achieve new heights at Kennedy high ropes course, LYA 2019.

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MPD Leadership Camp

MPD Leadership Camp was a new

initiative put forth by the CORE

team in 2019. CORE sought to

reach more youth during the

summer months to build trust

while engaging in fun, educational

and safe activities. To do so,

CORE collaborated with Madison

School & Community Recreation

(MSCR) during their middle

school summer programming,

specifically the afternoon session.

Three MSCR summer school sites

opted into this programming, and

CORE was able to accommodate

up to 30 students each day.

Leadership Camp was offered as a 4-day opportunity within MSCR’s

programming. Prior to the camp, CORE officers visited the participating summer

school sites to engage with the students and staff. During these visits, students

that had interest in Leadership Camp were able to sign up.

The goal of MPD’s inaugural Leadership Camp was to instill and nurture

leadership qualities and life skills in youth, for those young people to take back

into their homes and community.

Photo: CORE team members “on belay” at Leadership Camp.

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Bigs in Blue

Since the inception of the Bigs in

Blue program in 2016, the

Madison Police Department has

continued their partnership with

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of

Dane County. BBBS of Dane

County currently serves over 640

youth in which 87% are non-white

and 91% come from low-income

households (determined by using

free and reduced lunch). The Bigs

in Blue program is a one on one

mentorship program that allows

local youth to connect with local

police officers in a non-traditional

way. This approach opens a path

to youth and their families to

connect, break down barriers, and

build trusting relationships with

local police officers.

Ercan, Jodi, and Tyler currently participate in the Bigs in Blue program. The

current partnering schools are Hamilton Middle and Lincoln Elementary

Schools.

Photo: Ercan and his “little.”

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CLUB Badge

CORE team members took part in CLUB (Creating Leaders under the Badge), a

program created in 2015 by MSCR Allied Learning Center director Laura

Harrington. Laura launched this summer program as a one hour per week

offshoot of regular MSCR programming, with the intention of creating an

opportunity for local police and youth to get to know one another and cultivate

trust. The youth, ages 9-13, meet with police officers once each week for an hour,

for eight weeks.

This program originally started

in Marlborough Park in the

Allied Drive neighborhood. In

2019, CLUB grew by two

additional sites, one each on the

east and west sides of Madison.

Lowell Elementary youth took

part in CLUB at Olbrich Park,

and Meg, Ercan, and

Neighborhood Resource Officer

Howard Payne planned and carried out those sessions. Youth from the

Meadowood Neighborhood took part in the west side edition of CLUB, under the

collaborative efforts of CPT Officers Alyssa Palmer and Dave Retlick.

At the conclusion of CLUB’s summer program, a joint celebration was held at the

MPD training center. Participating youth got to tour the police training center, sit

in the seats MPD’s recruit class occupy, and see police K9’s and horses. The event

culminated in a grilled lunch and cupcakes for the kids.

Photo: CLUB at Olbrich, Aug 2019. Officers, left to right: NRO Howard Payne, Officer Ercan Dzelil, Sgt Meg Hamilton

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Good Neighbor Project

In today’s modern world, it’s easy to do everything from behind a screen: online

shopping, texting, social media, even monitoring the comings and goings of your

household via video doorbell and home monitoring connected to smartphones.

While all this technology can be helpful (and sometimes fun), people often don’t

get to personally know their neighbors and the folks who work in their area like

previous generations did. But neighbors and others commonly in our

neighborhoods are the exact people who are nearby and can quickly help, if help

is needed. Safe, caring neighborhoods start with good neighbors who look out for

each other, notice things and support each other.

The Madison Police

Department's Good

Neighbor Project is a

community safety

program that

encourages citizens to

make an effort to

personally get to know

some of their neighbors.

Program coordinator

Tyler Grigg succinctly

explains the importance

of knowing your

neighbors:

“This helps build a

neighborhood social support network that's always there when you need it.

Madison Police officers are part of that support network. We not only work in the

Photo: Good Neighbor Night event at American Family Dreambank, November 2019.

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neighborhoods, but many MPD officers and detectives live in, grew up in or have

friends and family who reside in Madison neighborhoods. We are eager to get to

know the community and to partner with them to solve problems and to help

keep all of our neighborhoods safe.” A Good Neighbor Project can involve two

people, a small group of neighbors or even an entire neighborhood.

To get started, people can check out the Good Neighbor Project Starter Kit and

resources: www.cityofmadison.com/police/community/good-neighbor-project/

Hmong Institute Partnership: Participation in Hmong Professional

Network and Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment Program

(HLCEP)

Officer Lore Vang engages

and partners with the

Hmong Institute, a non-

profit organization which

aims to be a resource to

those interested in the

advancement of the

community inclusive of

Hmong heritage. Through

training, assistance,

consultations, and relationships, the Hmong Institute is committed to serving the

Hmong community, and its allies. Lore participates in several of the programs

coordinated by the Hmong Institute, including the Hmong Professional Network

(HPN), and the Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment Program (HLCEP).

Photo: Youth attendees at HLCEP, July 2019 (photo courtesy of HLCEP social media)

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The Hmong Professional Network (HPN) exists to provide a safe space for

Hmong professionals and others to come together to network, build relationships

and enhance leadership skills by doing activities and projects together. Lore not

only participates, but has also presented, informing the community on general

police practices, and the challenges in the community.

The Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment Program (HLCEP) is a grassroots,

intensive, six-week program that confronts data that was extracted from the

Madison Metro School District. The data showed that 93% of Hmong students

read below grade level, and 74% of Hmong students perform math below grade

level. Hmong parents became aware that their children were not getting enough

exposure to the Hmong culture, language, and traditions at home and school.

These parents witnessed fast-pace assimilation into the American culture.

Besides the low academic skills of their children, parents worried that someday,

their kids will not know what it's like to be Hmong. The impetus of the HLCEP

first came to light when a few Hmong parents in the Madison area networked and

discussed their children’s academic skills. Lack of cultural support available at

schools and low self-esteem were identified as key barriers to their children’s

academic success. Lore participates as a mentor and guide and has also taught

lessons in leadership and identity, emphasizing speech and language skills. In

2019, Lore impacted 59 students who took part in the HLCEP.

Safety Town

CORE partnered with the City of Madison Fire Department to provide safety

programming in a summer camp setting for 4 and 5 year olds. Jodi Nelson took

the lead on MPD’s contribution, covering topics like bullying, building trust with

police, and “Checkpoint Charlie.” Checkpoint Charlie helps children learn to

check with a known, safe adult prior to going anywhere. The young attendees

were able to see police and firefighters work together to put on instruction, in the

same fashion that officers and fire personnel work in the greater community.

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Telling Real Unplanned Stories Together (TRUST)

For the third year, Community Outreach personnel, Atlas Improv Company, and

O’Keeffe Middle School have partnered to facilitate TRUST programming.

Officers Jared Prado and Jodi Nelson took part during spring semester, seeing

participating youth through until 8th grade graduation. CORE was joined in this

effort by co-facilitators Tracy Warnecke and Jaime Domini; weekly TRUST

workshops centered on exploring students’ identities and fostering a sense of

community. Jared and Jodi further engaged with youth by taking part in other

activities at the school as well as offering one-on-one mentoring. Jodi reported

that some students also had the opportunity to learn and participate in specialty

workouts, which were geared toward stress management, positive body image,

and physical and emotional well-being. At the culmination of the academic year,

Jodi and Jared had the opportunity to meet some of the participating youths’

families at commencement.

TRUST resumed in fall of 2019 when students returned to school at O’Keeffe. At

the start of the school year, eight youth – all students of color – began

participating. TRUST then shifted to a classroom setting of 22 students! Jodi has

been with this initiative since it was created, and has developed strong

relationships with students and staff at O’Keeffe. CORE looks forward to

continuing TRUST and creating a space for positive engagement with youth into

spring semester of 2020.

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Why Not Me?

Four Community Outreach team

members took part in this

grassroots youth outreach

initiative in 2019; the program

is spearheaded by Carbon World

Health and is entering its fifth

year. Every week, CORE officers

partner with Carbon World

Health trainers to mentor local

middle-school age youth.

Students learn the role of health

and fitness, but more

importantly take part in

impactful conversations like dealing with stress and conflict, working toward

individual goals, and gravitating toward supportive friendships. The positive,

goal-oriented tone of this programming fosters relationships that help break

down barriers that may exist between youth and police.

During fall 2019 programming at Carbon, the youth taking part in “Why Not

Me?” had the opportunity to spontaneously meet Miss Wisconsin USA. Gabriella

“Gabby” Deyi spoke to the group about growing up in an immigrant family with

high expectations, and being steered by others in her life toward a career she

ultimately realized she did not want. Gabby talked passionately about her

decision to focus on journalism and her tenacity in working toward her goals,

even when faced with year-after-year setbacks. The “Why Not Me?” participants

were captivated by her story and visibly excited to meet Gabby. Opportunities like

this would not exist without Carbon World Health and CORE’s many other

critical partners.

Photo: Why Not Me? at Carbon World Health with Miss Wisconsin, November 2019.

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Youth Outreach in Partnership with Centro Hispano

Dating back to 2016, Jared partnered

with Centro Hispano of Dane County,

in particular the Escalera program,

which is an after-school elective

program for Latinx high school

students. At the time, Jared co-led

regular visits to Escalera with UW Law

students in order to educate high

school students about various legal

issues, to include know-your-rights

presentations. By the end of 2019,

Gracia and Jared reignited CORE’s partnership with Escalera. CORE officers

visited the newly established program at LaFollette High School and covered

careers and activities that brought students to a better understanding of what

types of calls police respond to in their community.

In late 2018, Gracia and Jared began partnering with Centro Hispano’s middle-

school program, called Juventud. Juventud is active within four Madison middle

schools, and over the course of 2019, CORE officers visited three of these sites.

During this programming, Gracia and Jared assisted youth with homework, told

personal career stories, and provided information about personal safety, bullying,

individual rights, forensic science, and the 911 call-taking process.

Photo: Gracia and youth from Juventud programming (Toki) on a visit to the Central Police Department and the Dane

County Communications Center, seeing how 911 calls are taken; May 2019

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Also in 2019, Gracia and Jared were invited to present a workshop for the 2019

Latino Youth Summit, which hosted approximately 70 students and was held at

the University of Wisconsin Madison’s School of Education. Additionally, during

the summer months of 2019, Gracia coordinated a workshop with Centro

Hispano’s Juventuras program, which brought together middle school-aged

students from around the city, to learn about health and wellness topics. Gracia

led students through making homemade tortillas, while Jared led an activity to

practice communication and listening skills.

Wanda Fullmore Intern Program

The City of Madison, in conjunction with Commonwealth Development, puts

forth an annual summer internship program available to Madison-area youth.

This paid internship opportunity provides high school students with enriching

employment opportunities. The program entails mandatory pre-internship

training, an 8-week long internship, regular mentoring and support from

Commonwealth, and mandated professional

development training each week.

Meg took part in the initial “meet and greet”

between supervisors and youth preparing for

internships. Commonwealth then invited

Meg and other supervisors to come back for

short interviews with up to four youth

interested in each internship opportunity.

Four youth interviewed to be placed with

CORE for the summer of 2019, and Meg was

delighted to welcome intern Keanu into the

Community Outreach fold.

Photo: Keanu’s first day with the CORE team, meeting Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. June 24th, 2019 at Leopold Park.

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On Keanu’s very first day with

CORE, he and Meg attended a

community event at Leopold

Park and Keanu had the

opportunity to meet Madison

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.

During Keanu’s 8 weeks with

CORE, he attended and took

part in myriad community-

police events, including CLUB

programming, the annual

Edgewood youth football camp,

and Latino Youth Academy and

MPD Leadership Camp. Keanu

was an incredible asset to the

CORE team’s outreach efforts,

especially in bridging the gap

between middle school age youth and the adults who comprise CORE. Meg and

Lore attended both the Wanda Fullmore kick-off event at the start of this

internship, as well as Commonwealth’s celebration dinner at the culmination.

Those events presented an additional opportunity for CORE members to meet

Keanu’s family, and to celebrate his achievements and future.

Photo: Intern Keanu leading programming for the first time at CLUB. Keanu’s enthusiasm for working with youth was infectious, and created opportunities for genuine engagement and trust-building. July 31st, 2019, Olbrich Park.

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Community Academy

Meg and Lore took over planning and

executing Madison PD’s annual fall

Community Academy this year. The

Community Academy is a program

designed to give community members a

working knowledge and understanding

of the values, goals, and operations of

the MPD. Objectives for this

programming include building a

positive relationship with community

members, improving lines of

communication, and providing

individuals with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the MPD.

Meg and Lore changed the structure of the 2019 Community Academy to invite a

wider audience of interested people to attend. The Community Academy kicked

off the first week of September, and ran for six consecutive Thursday evenings.

Although sessions were slated for 90 minutes, each week discussions and

questions ran an additional 1-3 hours! Meg and Lore were present each week of

the programming, and topics included an introduction to MPD’s structure, police

use of force, mental health and de-escalation, tabletop exercises and a practical

exercise at the MPD Training Center.

The MPD mental health officer team and the Use of Force Coordinator presented

during two different weeks of programming, and Community Restorative Court

staff were also featured. Due to community interest in this programming, an

additional one-day spring Community Academy has been planned for March 7th

of 2020, to supplement the 2020 fall opportunity.

Photo: Madison PD Use of Force Coordinator leading a practical exercise about police use of force, Sept 2019 Community Academy.

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Intentional Mentoring

Jared and Meg both took part in 2019 in Madison-based Intentional Mentoring, a

non-profit mentoring effort that connects adult volunteers with youth in the

community. The mission of Intentional Mentoring is to have mentors interact

with school, communities and families in order to strength the support network

for students facing adversity. Jared was already a mentor when 2019 began, and

Meg joined the mentor cadre in August.

Intentional Mentoring provides once-a-month in-person coaching support to all

mentors, in which adult volunteers can talk about challenges, effective verbal

engagement, finding help for homework and studying challenges, and new outlets

in Madison to engage youth positively.

Intentional mentors seek to spend time with their mentee each week. Meg was

matched with her mentee in August; the two were previously acquainted through

a programming effort that CORE took part in during spring semester of 2019.

Meg and her mentee Ava share a common love of libraries and reading, and both

enjoy being outdoors and learning. The two are also both students, which is yet

another area in which they can relate. Meg and Ava spend their once-a-week time

together at local libraries, jogging on the west side of Madison, studying, and

spending time outside. Ava recently got her first job, so the two spent time talking

through interview prep and job orientation.

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Safety Saturday

Jodi and Meg took part in planning

efforts with the Madison Fire

Department for Safety Saturday, an

annual event on the Capitol square.

On June 8th, 2019 the Madison Fire

Department hosted this event, along

with over 25 public and private

organizations in Dane County. The

event aims to educate parents,

children and the public on ways to make safe decisions, prevent injuries, and to

encourage the use of safety devices such as seat belts, bike helmets, and smoke

alarms. Thousands of community members attend each year.

Meg and Jodi partnered with the Central District’s

neighborhood officer cadre and a Special Events

Team (SET) medic to have a marked squad car

present for meet-and-greet and to showcase the

items a patrol officer in Madison carries. NPOs

Kraig Kalka and Ken Brown assisted, as did SET

medic Andrew Muir. Officer Muir’s high-visibility

traffic vest, SET helmet, and police vests (minus

any weaponry) were extremely popular items for

children to try on. Jodi and Meg supervised the

MPD booth and handed out giveaways, including

brochures on CORE programs. Night shift officer Mario Gonzalez participated

after a full night of working patrol, to positively engage with Spanish speaking

youth and families.

Photo 1: Officers Mario Gonzalez, Kenneth Brown, Kraig Kalka, Jodi Nelson and Sgt Meg Hamilton Photo 2: SET medic Officer Andrew Muir, providing youth an opportunity to try on police gear

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Refugee – First Responder Picnic

For the third year, CORE

partnered with Jewish

Social Services to co-host a

Refugee – First Responder

Picnic in Madison. The

event aims to familiarize

newly arrived refugee

families with the uniforms,

vehicles, and people of

local emergency response; the hope is that this will break down barriers that

might prevent refugees from calling 911, if they ever need to. Based on previous

years’ attendance, it was estimated that 40-60 resettled individuals would attend.

The event culminated in 93 refugees attending and 18 police and fire department

personnel. Many of the resettled refugees in attendance hailed from the

Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Syria.

MPD mounted patrol personnel attended, which provided a great opportunity for

attendees to chat outside, pet the horses, and engage with officers in a low-key

fashion. JSS also asked if a police K9 could come, because in many attendees’

countries of origin, police dogs are associated with military regimes. K9 Officer

Carren Corcoran and her partner Slim attended and were wildly popular. During

this event, JSS staff provided remarks and then Captain Tye delivered a short

speech. As Captain Tye expressed to the audience that they are part of Madison

now and welcome here, spontaneous applause broke out. It was a pivotal moment

for MPD personnel and resettled refugee families to meet, connect, and break

down trust barriers. The newest arrival to the United States present at this event

had been in country for 3 days.

Photo: Mounted patrol meeting and greeting families at the Refugee – First Responder Picnic, September 2019.

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National Night Out

Meg, Gracia and Tyler joined the

North District in staffing

Madison’s National Night Out

on August 6th, 2019 at Warner

Park. The event took place just

outside the gates of the Madison

Mallards Duck Pond which

created an additional

opportunity to engage families

going to and from the evening’s

baseball game. National Night

Out is an annual community-

building endeavor that promotes

police-community partnerships

and neighborhood camaraderie

to make neighborhoods safer,

more caring places to live. It also

seeks to help enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement

while bringing back a true sense of community.

Capital K9s, Madison Area Crime Stoppers, Madison Mounted Patrol, North

district command staff and CORE team members took part in this event from

5pm-8pm. Despite the oppressive August heat, Tyler donned the McGruff suit to

meet and greet youth attendees.

Photo: Tyler as McGruff the Crime Dog, National Night Out (August 2019)

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NEW OUTREACH IN 2019

Battle of the Badges

Nationally, police departments and fire departments have a healthy rivalry when

it comes to competition. Madison Police and Madison Fire have held “Battle of

the Badges” sports matches in hockey, flag football, and softball. In 2019, Ercan

and Gracia were fortunate to find committed, community-centric partners in the

brand-new Forward Football Club. MPD partnered with Forward during the

Latino Youth Academy, when Forward FC hosted youth for “See It To Be It”

career exploration; Forward also assisted with fielding volunteers for Amigos en

Azul’s 2019 Southside Soccer Series. In a third venture, Ercan collaborated with

Forward FC to plan the inaugural Battle of the Badges charity soccer match on

Saturday August 3, 2019.

The event took place right

before a home Forward

Madison FC match, and was

Forward Madison FC’s

highest group ticket sale of

their season. Madison Fire

provided a group of seasoned,

veteran soccer players; MPD

fielded personnel from across

the city who managed to practice once or twice beforehand. Excuses aside, the

Fire Department roundly beat the PD but the pain of losing was quickly

forgotten: ticket sales, t-shirts, and a 50/50 raffle raised $2,074 for Friends of

MSCR. All of the money raised will go toward MSCR’s fee assistance program to

help local youth who may need financial assistance to participate in a club or

sport.

Photo: Madison Forward FC Director of Fan Engagement Kuba Krzyzostaniak (left) and Latino Outreach Manager Jovan Chavez, with Captain Jennifer Krueger Favour at Battle of the Badges; August 2019

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Tree Lane Programming

In 2018, Tree Lane Apartments

(4933 Tree Lane) opened as part of

the City of Madison’s long-term

initiative to increase affordable

housing. With 45 new families under

one roof, CORE officers saw this as

an opportunity to positively engage

and interact with youth and parents.

In the beginning, CORE officers were

invited to take part in “slime club”.

Volunteers provide the supplies to

make slime, and adults and CORE

officers assisted the kids in making

slime. “Slime Club” was such a hit

that it was subsequently hosted once

a month and every month it featured a different type of slime.

After a few visits, CORE officers explored putting on additional activities for the

youth present. On one occasion, Gracia and Jared hosted a cookie decorating

event. The most heavily attended activity was an ice cream social hosted by

Gracia, Jared and Meg. Approximately thirty youth were able to make and enjoy

ice cream sundaes. By the end of this series of visits, CORE personnel began

hearing that kids were impressed there were “nice police officers” and were

looking forward to future visits.

Photo: Gracia at Slime Club, July 2019

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Zeidler Center Police and Youth Initiative (YPI) and Police-Resident

Listening Circles

Captain Matt Tye, Sgt Meg Hamilton, Officer Lore Vang and Officer Gracia

Rodriguez participated in the Zeidler Center sponsored listening circles in

Madison during 2019.

Captain Tye and Lore

first participated in

YPI, a six day youth

leadership program

that implements

youth facilitators in

listening circles with

police officers. The

emphasis is to build

trust by breaking

down barriers and

sharing each other’s

stories. The two YPI took place on Madison’s north side, utilizing the Warner

Park Community Recreation Center. Youth in attendance were representative of

the diverse populations on Madison’s north side.

Sgt Hamilton and Gracia participated in six consecutive months of Police and

Resident Listening Circles, concluding in December 2019. The site at which Meg

and Gracia participated was on Madison’s southwest side, in the Allied Drive

neighborhood.

Photo: Meg and a youth participant at Police-Resident Listening Circles on Allied Drive, December 2019. The two found common ground in a love of reading, and even read the same book between November and December listening sessions.

33 | P a g e

The Zeidler Center’s webpage on Police & Resident Listening Circles notes that

“an important step in repairing relationships between law enforcement and

communities of color…is to come together in safe spaces that provide the

opportunity for facilitated, face-to-face communication to co-create resident-

based solutions.” The Zeidler Center provided support for this initiative, and an

Allied Drive planning committee was created with residents steering the listening

circles.

One evening each month, Gracia and Meg joined officers from Fitchburg Police at

the Jenewein Boys & Girls Club. Each law enforcement attendee was assigned to

a circle of mostly youth, and the evening began by sharing a meal. After the meal,

member of the Allied Drive planning committee read the rules and expectations

and all members broke out into small groups. A facilitator would pose a question

and then every member of the circle had an opportunity to respond, relate and

share without being interrupted. By the end of this six-month endeavor, Gracia

and Meg discovered that they were on a first-name basis with many of the youth

who attended. The topics discussed at the Allied Listening Circles included

positive authority, body language and non-verbal communication, and

unconscious bias.

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RESTORATIVE INITIATIVES

Youth Restorative Justice Partnership

In September of 2015, MPD began participating in a restorative effort for 12 to 16

year olds who were cited for any municipal offense. The Brighter Futures

Initiative, under the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, provided

the initial funding for this effort. MPD continues to participate in this

programming, which is a partnership between our agency, YWCA Madison, Dane

County Timebank, and Briarpatch Youth Services.

When patrol officers cite a youth who is 12 to 16 years old for any municipal

offense, they also issue a Restorative Justice brochure along with the municipal

citation. The cited youth is notified that he or she can contact the YWCA directly

to opt in, as an alternative to going to court. Approximately 90% of youth cited

for a municipal offense opt into the restorative programming instead of

traditional municipal court adjudication.

What does youth restorative justice look like? The cited youth is referred to one of

two processes. The first option is a 60-minute circle conducted by the YWCA, in

which the cited youth talks through what happened, how their actions impacted

others, and what needs to be done to make things right. The young person then

agrees to a repair harm agreement, and generally has 90 days to follow the

parameters of that agreement. The second option is Peer Court, which can be

conducted by either Briarpatch or Dane County Timebank. In both Briarpatch

and Timebank’s peer courts, other young people serve as jurors. Briarpatch’s

jurors focus on finding employment and other services for the cited youth;

TimeBank’s jurors issue restorative sentences. A restorative sentence might be

building employment skills or repairing the harm that was done.

35 | P a g e

Madison PD works to reduce the number of youth placed into the municipal

court process by exploring and collaborating with community partners who can

effectively engage in restorative processes. As the sergeant of CORE, Meg

Hamilton liaises with YWCA Madison, Dane County Timebank and Briarpatch

Youth Services in monthly and quarterly meetings. Meg and Captain Tye created

a one-hour training to explore how youth and adult restorative justice partners

are working with Madison PD to achieve respondent accountability, diversion

from the traditional criminal justice system, and victim voices being heard. That

training was presented to all members of the Madison Police Department during

fall 2019 in-service.

Adult Restorative Justice Partnership:

Community Restorative Court

MPD also participates in a restorative program for adults aged 17-25 who have

been cited or arrested for one of the following 5 municipal offenses: disorderly

conduct, simple battery, criminal damage to property, obstructing, and theft,

including retail theft. That program is called Community Restorative Court, and

it is run through Dane County Human Services. CORE is the nexus between MPD

and the Community Restorative Court team. Meg Hamilton and Captain Tye

attend quarterly meetings with CRC staff to discuss referrals and systems

improvement.

Meg is the MPD point of contact for referring candidates to Community

Restorative Court. Each week, she receives a list of all individuals MPD has

arrested in the past week for any of the five qualifying offenses. Meg screens

those candidates, and is able to refer individuals who have been arrested for

municipal level offenses who are not on probation or parole (extended

supervision) and who do not have open criminal cases. If individuals have a

significant and violent criminal history, they are not eligible for CRC. Meg then

sends all screened candidates to CRC, for CRC staff to make initial contact.

36 | P a g e

Community Restorative Court staff presented at all 14 MPD fall-in-service

sessions to directly relay their work and their processes to MPD personnel.

Additionally, CRC presented to MPD’s recruit class in November 2019, and to

Community Academy attendees in October 2019.

Referral Statistics

In 2018, referrals to CRC were spearheaded by MPD’s neighborhood officers and

Community Policing Team members. They sent 74 cases to Community

Restorative Court that year. From January through July 2019, 87 referrals were

sent to CRC via neighborhood officers and CPT members. Meg took over referrals

in August 2019, and from August through December 31, Meg sent an additional

108 referrals. 195 total cases were referred from MPD to Community Restorative

Court in 2019, an increase of 163% over 2018.

CCLP Collaboration: Direct Referrals for Adults

The Children’s Center for Law and Policy (CCLP) and Madison PD worked

collaboratively throughout 2019 on the Law Enforcement Leadership for Equity

Initiative, and CCLP provided numerous options for MPD to explore. One

suggestion to MPD was “expand the use of direct referrals to diversion programs

in lieu of tickets and arrests for eligible offenses occurring in the community and

establish an MOU that clearly outlines roles and responsibilities between MPD

and Dane County for such a process.” Madison PD was able to accomplish both

direct referral implementation and a signed MOU between MPD and Dane

County by December 31st, 2019.

Beginning in September 2019, patrol officers received training at fall in-service

on the direct referral process. It is now possible for patrol officers to directly refer

an individual 17-25 years old to CRC for any combination of the five qualifying

offenses, without a citation being written or an arrest taking place.

37 | P a g e

CCLP Collaboration: Interactions with Youth SOP

CCLP also recommended that MPD revise or create a Standard Operating

Procedure (SOP) governing youth contacts to capture the Department’s current

approach to contacts with youth, including expectations regarding use of

available diversion programs.

CORE team members Meg and Jodi took part in a working group as MPD points

of contact for developing that SOP on “Interactions with Youth.” CCLP helped to

facilitate this process, and working group members included representatives

from the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, YWCA Madison, Timebank,

Briarpatch Youth Services, UW Madison Law School and others invested in

equity and engagement work.

The SOP on Interactions with Youth was developed over numerous sessions and

officially went into effect on December 30th, 2019.

CCLP Collaboration: Training Opportunity

CCLP recommended that MPD implement new training designed to promote

effective interactions between youth and law enforcement. CCLP noted MPD’s

interest in working with Strategies for Youth, which is a national organization, to

obtain that type of training. The 2020 CORE team officers will be attending

“Policing the Teen Brain” instruction, which is a train-the-trainer course,

February 25-28, 2020. The CORE team will in turn instruct the entire Madison

Police Department on this content.

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CORE COMMITMENTS WITHIN MPD

MPD Pride

Jodi Nelson is the chair of

MPD Pride; the mission of

this internal group is to

serve as a resource to

employees within MPD by

providing education,

information and support.

In addition, the group

serves as points of contact for members of the LGBTQ+ community within

Madison, working to cultivate trust and to offer an additional level of support to

LGBTQ+ individuals in need of police services.

Jodi and MPD Pride are part of the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Through the Chamber, MPD Pride has had numerous opportunities to engage

with the community. One such opportunity was a 2019 Career Fair that the

Chamber sponsored on the UW Madison campus, which Jodi attended and

participated in with an MPD table. Jodi galvanized numerous outreach efforts in

2019, from taking part in the first ever LGBTQ+ flag raising at both city and

county government buildings during Pride Month (June) to organizing social

media messages of support for LGBTQ+ community members. Additionally, Jodi

carves out time from her primary Community Outreach team responsibilities to

present as a subject matter expert on LGBTQ+ education and awareness. During

the calendar year, she conducted trainings at the Wisconsin School Resource

Officer Conference, to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, as well as to the

Dubuque (Iowa) Police Department Negotiators Team and members of their

Department of Civil Rights.

Photo: MPD Pride members group photo, 2019.

39 | P a g e

Amigos en Azul

Gracia Rodriguez is the

president of Amigos en Azul, a

grassroots Madison PD initiative

that has since grown into a Dane

County collaboration of multiple

law enforcement providers.

Amigos en Azul is comprised of

police officers working to

dissolve cultural barriers, build

partnerships and open lines of

communication between the

Latino community and local law

enforcement. Amigos en Azul

launched in 2003 as an effort to

build trust between the Latino

community and the police

department. Sixteen years later,

Amigos en Azul continues to

play a vital role.

Officers Jared Prado and Gracia Rodriguez were both members of Amigos en

Azul prior to joining CORE, but as Community Outreach personnel they have

played a critical role in Amigos reaching more families in Madison. Gracia was

the primary planner of the 2019 Latino Youth Academy, and Jared was one of

three platoon leaders for that week-long programming. Numerous Amigos en

Azul officers took part in teaching, mentoring, and celebrating the youth of the

2019 LYA.

Photo: Amigos en Azul officers and youth at the annual Chicago Fire soccer game, September 2019.

40 | P a g e

Amigos en Azul participated in more than 40 events in 2019, including fairs,

festivals, school presentations, radio shows through La Movida, car clinics, and

programming at Centro Hispano. Amigos en Azul continued to host the

Southside Summer Soccer Series, a free soccer tournament for youth aged 6-16

on three consecutive Saturdays in June. Lunch was provided to attendees and

their families, and soccer gear was also available to youth who wished to play but

did not have the equipment to do so.

Amigos en Azul took a group of youth to see a professional soccer match in

Chicago, Illinois; this trip is a unique opportunity for Madison youth to travel out

of state and see athletes they recognize and admire. Critically, it also provides a

full day for Amigos to positively interact and engage with youth, away from the

peer pressure and stress that can surround youth. Finally, Amigos en Azul

adopted a family for the holidays. A Sun Prairie officer who is part of Amigos

identified a household that was very much in need after a catastrophic car

accident. The team purchased and wrapped gifts, arranged for a free holiday meal

from a local grocer who wished to be anonymous, and helped match the family

with a few critically needed household items, including a twin mattress and a

crib.

Madison Public Safety Cadets

Officers Jared Prado and Ercan Dzelil served as mentors for the MPD Public

Safety Cadets Unit which is led by Lt Lori Chalecki. The group was formerly

known as MPD Explorers. Since 2015, MPD Cadets has consisted of Madison-

area youth age 14-20, many of whom are interested in policing as a potential

career field.

Once enrolled, participants attend bimonthly meetings that incorporate law

enforcement training topics, team-building activities, and physical fitness

challenges. MPD Cadets members are also given opportunities to do ride-alongs

41 | P a g e

with MPD patrol officers, and to volunteer at major events while representing the

Cadets unit. As Cadets mentors, officers consistently attend meetings and

prepare youth members for competitions that occur throughout the year.

Outreach Database and MCPF Donation Tracking

Since 2016, the CORE team has been in charge of

overseeing the department outreach database, which was

originally developed by now-Detective Deon Johnson. The

database was devised as a way to capture the multitude of

outreach events that occur across the city involving MPD officers. When the

database was created, MPD was just starting to receive the generous support of

the Madison Community Policing Foundation (MCPF), a non-profit organization

led by retired MPD Captain Joe Balles. MCPF donations strengthen MPD

outreach efforts by allowing officers to buy food, supplies and event space for

community-attended events.

In the first eight months of 2019, MCPF had donated almost $6,000 to MPD

community outreach efforts. Combining 2018 donations, MCPF had contributed

over $11,000 in less than two years. Throughout 2019, Jared Prado and Gracia

Rodriguez were the departmental points of contact for any MCPF donation

questions and outreach database issues. To facilitate more timely usage of MCPF

funds, Gracia has been in charge of tracking and distributing MCPF purchased

gift cards to district stations. MCPF cards carry a maximum of $500, and any

officer using an MCPF card must comply with MPD Standard Operating

Procedure and get all expenditures pre-approved by an MPD commander. At the

end of 2019, Jared and Gracia assisted Jim Powell with auditing MCPF donations

made throughout the year.

42 | P a g e

Internship Professional Development Program

In the summer of 2018,

Lore coordinated an

Internship Professional

Development Program for

the hired interns of the

MPD. The Professional

Development course was

designed to give student

interns an early start on

the process of career

planning and development. It was orchestrated to improve the ability of students

to describe their accomplishments and sell their ideas in situations like

professional networking, company meetings, and interviews. Particular

emphasis was put on verbal communication and preparation for verbal

communication. Students learned the fundamentals of being a professional,

through the lens of the Madison Police Department.

The philosophy of the course was that the career development process is ongoing,

systematic, and aimed toward a fulfilling work life, which is part of the overall

plan for personal development. This not only developed a cohort among the

interns, but also generated interest in employment with the MPD.

Photo: MPD’s summer interns are assigned to various work groups, but community outreach is a common thread for all. Pictured above are some of MPD’s 2019 summer interns, pitching in at the Inaugural Battles of the Badges; August

2019.

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Peer Support

Meg is the sergeant of MPD’s Peer Support Officer (PSO) program. Peer Support

is comprised of officers that have been selected by their peers to be available as a

resource to their colleagues. PSOs are trained to provide assistance to co-workers

through listening, understanding and providing appropriate referrals when

necessary. In addition, PSOs serve as the first point of contact for the Officer In

Charge when a critical incident has occurred. Upon notification, the Peer Support

Officer reviews the incident, coordinates contact between the involved employees

and the responding Employee Assistance Program (EAP) / Critical-Incident

Stress Management (CISM) provider, and makes arrangements for follow up as

appropriate.

Peer Support Officers are primarily tasked with checking in with involved

employees after a critical incident, and setting up (when appropriate) critical

incident debriefings for those personnel. A critical incident is a situation in which

personnel are exposed to significant and impactful trauma, including:

Serious injury or death to any MPD employee

Serious injury or death to a member of the public, especially children or

family members of employees

Suicide or homicide of an employee

Loss of life that follows extraordinary and prolonged efforts to rescue or

save

This list is not all-inclusive, but encompasses some of the situations in which

Peer Support Officers might be called to assist their colleagues. Meg is the back-

up coordinator when Lt Reggie Patterson is engaged elsewhere.

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COMMUNITY POLICING IN IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS: STORIES OF SUCCESS

Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Report

In September of 2019, the Police Executive Research Forum published a report

on two police departments recognized nationally for fostering positive

relationships with immigrant communities. Madison PD and the Aurora,

Colorado Police Department were featured.

The report was created as a road map to other law enforcement agencies seeking

expansion to their community policing efforts in immigrant neighborhoods.

See the full report below:

https://www.policeforum.org/assets/CommunityPolicingImmigrant

Neighborhoods.pdf

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LOOKING AHEAD

Madison Police Department grappled with on-going staffing issues throughout

2019. Patrol staffing is imperative, and minimum staffing numbers must be

attained for all five shifts of patrol to effectively service 911 calls. In September

2019, Chief Koval made the difficult decision to curtail several units at MPD to

dedicate more personnel to staffing patrol. It was determined that the CORE

team would lose two officers beginning in February 2020.

In 2020, the CORE team will consist of Sgt Meg Hamilton and three outreach

officers instead of five officers. The team remains dedicated to the work of youth

engagement, diversion from the criminal justice system, and community trust-

building. What will the team be focusing on in 2020? There are several new

initiatives on the horizon.

CORE looks forward to undergoing “Policing the Teen Brain” training in

February 2020, the content of which will ultimately be taught to the entire

Madison Police Department. All three CORE officers will undergo this 4-day

training and develop as practitioners and instructors. The training is nationally

renowned and MPD worked throughout 2019 to identify a way to pay for this

worthwhile endeavor.

Captain Tye and Sgt Meg Hamilton are overseeing a new initiative in 2020, the

Pathways to Recovery Grant. A new Addiction Resource Officer position will exist

in May, and that individual will be embedded in a rapid-response team, and will

respond to heroin overdoses throughout Madison. This is a federally funded

grant initiative, in partnership with Dane County Public Health and the Madison

Fire Department. The Pathways for Recovery addiction resource team will launch

June 1st, 2020. Meg is attending the 2020 National COAP Forum in Arlington,

Virginia in March to continue the journey toward the team’s launch in Madison.

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Team members are currently engaged in an outreach effort for all of 2020,

highlighting the nationally significant percentage of female Madison police

officers. MPD has a 28% female workforce, compared to the national average of

12% female officers at the level of local law enforcement. Three team members

are engaged in this work, coined “We Are the 28.”

The CORE team is fortunate to be out in the Madison metro area and engaging

with youth, collaborating with community partners, and creating innovative

programming to positively impact neighborhoods and families. We look forward

to serving in 2020.