Madison Police require plainclothes cops to wear badges, unmarked cruisers to display placards
By Chris Rickert
The Wisconsin State Journal
MADISON, Wis. — Madison police are now requiring plainclothes officers to wear jackets identifying them as police and unmarked police vehicles to display placards identifying them as police vehicles.
The moves began taking effect last week, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said, and come in response to local concerns about the kinds of robust federal immigration enforcement seen in the Twin Cities and elsewhere that involve masked immigration officials operating out of unmarked vehicles.
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Madison police posted a video on Facebook Tuesday of Chief John Patterson explaining the new approach.
“We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately given the events occurring across our nation about how to identify Madison police staff versus other law enforcement agencies,” Patterson said.
Patterson then goes on to say that plainclothes officers such as detectives or detective supervisors will, “effective immediately,” be required to wear jackets with either a Madison police patch or the words “Madison police” on them.
The department’s unmarked police vehicles also now are coming with placards placed in their front windows that say “official Madison police vehicle” in English and Spanish and have images of the Madison police patch.
Madison police can still conduct undercover operations, according to Fryer, but any deviations from the new policy “must be reviewed and approved by a commander.”
Patterson said residents who see law enforcement personnel from outside jurisdictions, including federal law enforcement, can call 911 and Madison police will try to help identify them.
On Wednesday, Monona police issued a press release saying it was the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and not federal Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at a residence in Monona. The warrant was related to a narcotics investigation, the police department said.
What challenges might officers face as a result of this identification requirement?
Jaahnavi Kandula was hit by a Seattle officer who was driving up to 74 mph as he responded to a drug overdose call; he had his emergency lights on and had been using his siren at intersections
The immigration crackdown, which spanned Minneapolis and St. Paul, resulted in more than 4,000 arrests and extensive protests
“No porches were harmed in the making of this incident. Sgt. Bennett’s dignity is currently under review,” the Monterey Police Department captioned the video post
Kingston PD Chief Albert Pearsall was responding to a home when the suspect began to swing an ax; a standoff ensued after Pearsall picked up a shovel to defend himself
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