Madison may soon offer an official apology to a rape victim who was mistreated by police in 1997.
But if the Madison City Council approves the ""Justice For Patty"" resolution, saying sorry will be the least of its concerns. The resolution, created by Ald. Austin King, District 8, also calls for a $35,000 payment to Patty and a report from the Madison Police Department. The report would detail changes in MPD policy on handling rape cases.
King said he has received ""a tremendous amount of support and feedback from the community"" after introducing the resolution last week. He added that each aspect of the resolution is equally important in moving forward from the Patty ordeal.
""The fact that they haven't apologized yet is an embarrassment to the city and to me as a politician,"" King said.
Madison Police Chief Noble Wray has said he has no problem apologizing to Patty. However, Wray said recently that a report on police policy is unnecessary, citing internal improvements he has already begun.
In particular, King's resolution calls for the elimination of deceptive techniques in police interrogation. Madison detectives admitted to using deceptive techniques while questioning Patty nearly a decade ago, ultimately pushing her to say she was never raped.
George Twigg, spokesperson for Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said the mayor supports the resolution, including the $35,000 compensation payment that would come out of the city's contingent reserve.
Regarding the proposed $35,000 payment to Patty, King said no amount of money could make up for what happened to Patty. Still, he said the $35,000 would go toward legal fees Patty has had to pay in legal fees and lost profits from her business.
Kelly Anderson, director of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center, helped launch the ""Justice for Patty Campaign"" Oct. 3.
""We strongly encourage the city to apologize,"" Anderson said. ""What Mr. King has proposed is a classic apology, which is a good thing when all you see these days is ‘We're sorry if anyone was offended.'""
Anderson said a report from the police department is crucial in preventing future interrogation incidents.
King stressed the need for the city to publicly make amends for its mistreatment of Patty, no matter the cost, and pointed to past city spending on flood relief.
""It would be pretty sad if we helped those people and not Patty, who we really owe it to,"" King said.
