Mayor Dave Cieslewicz agreed to support Madison Police Chief Noble Wray's request to hire 30 new police officers by 2009, according to a memo obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal this weekend.
Discussions at neighborhood forums played a role in the push for more patrol when residents expressed concerns for their safety.
The new hires would cost the city around $2.3 million and need to be supported under a $54 million budget for the department. The Madison Police Department's current budget is at $50.1 million.
Cieslewicz will submit his budget proposal to the City Council in October, and according to the State Journal, had planned to cap 2008's budget at $51.1 million.
The mayor sent an initial budget request in August that would allow for the staffing of 18 more officers.
Spokesperson George Twigg told the State Journal the MPD currently employs 267 officers. The increase Wray is calling for would be the largest addition to the department since 1989.
