The UW-Madison campus area is patrolled not only by campus police but also by the Madison Police Department's central and south district forces. The overlapping jurisdictions mean the two departments must work closely together.
While UW-Madison police have jurisdiction over campus property—dorms, Bascom Hill, Memorial Union—city police have responsibility for city streets that cut through the heart of camps such as Langdon, Park and University.
MPD Captain Mary Schauf, central district commander, said the line between jurisdictions is thin—especially near the Southeast dorms and Memorial Union.
""The very obvious one is Sellery Hall... we're responsible for Park and Johnson [streets],"" Schauf said. ""So if a crime happens on the street or the sidewalk or the road it's ours, but if it happens even on the other side of the sidewalk, that's campus property.""
Representatives from both departments said communication and cooperation are key to controlling crime.
Lt. Karen Soley of the UWPD said they are always working with Madison police and city officials. She said some property is clearly within the boundaries of the university—Bascom Hill—still others, like University Avenue, are areas where both departments work.
The jurisdiction lines, according to Schauf, must be overlooked at times, when the situation calls for it. For example, when two UW-Madison students were abducted last semester, the two departments shared resources and combined to arrest Antonio Pope.
Assistant Dane County District Attorney Mike Verveer agreed that the jurisdiction lines are often discarded and are ""extremely blurred."" He explained that UW police have ""state jurisdiction,"" meaning that they can enforce laws on or off campus.
Verveer said UW police back up city police at bar time ""every weekend without fail.""
Schauf said the two departments generally work well together.
""We actually have a pretty good working relationship with them, but we're always looking for better ways to work with each other,"" Schauf said, ""because I don't know if we always have all the answers, but we try.""
