In October 2023, the former chair of Madison’s police oversight board threatened officers with investigations during the arrest of her daughter.
Madison police are disputing an assertion made by the city’s independent police monitor that Black youth in Madison are 25 times more likely than white youth to be cited for a disorderly conduct ordinance violation.
The monitor’s office made the statement in its most recent annual report, posted online Tuesday, as part of a section that also claims police in Madison are far more likely than police in Milwaukee and around the country to arrest people for disorderly conduct.
In a statement released just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Police Chief John Patterson said that “for years,” including the time period the monitor’s office studied, police have declined to issue citations to juveniles for any municipal offense, and have instead sent them for restorative justice services.
“Officers only issue restorative justice referral forms to youth for municipal offenses — they do not issue tickets/citations,” he said in an email Wednesday. “We do this for all municipal offenses, including disorderly conduct.”
Youth are currently sent to a restorative justice program run by the YWCA of Dane County and funded through the Dane County Department of Human Services, according to police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer. Such programs are aimed at giving participants the chance to take responsibility and repair the harm they’ve caused, while avoiding involvement in the criminal justice system. Restorative justice options have been a key plank in Madison’s work to reduce longstanding racial disparities in the criminal justice system.