Students could soon see members of the Madison Police Department patrolling the streets with assault rifles.
The Common Council voted Tuesday to establish a voluntary rifle purchase program that would allow commissioned employees to voluntarily purchased rifles.
By establishing this program, the AR-15 assault rifles would become individual property of the officers much like the handguns they currently carry. Once acquired, the rifles would become the officer's property for life.
However, some alders were uncertain about the standard they were setting by asking city officials to buy their own tools for a job the city hired them to do, especially when those tools can give lethal force.
Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9, and member of the Public Safety Review Committee, said he has been working on the proposal for years and would like to see the rifles bought through the capital budget, and then given to individual officers.
Ald. Judy Compton, District 16, said she was glad that safety of the officers would be addressed.
""This is a tool, not a weapon,"" she said.
Executive Cpt. of Field Operations Vic Wahl said officers would be provided with training, as well as with protocol for handling the rifles.
""We currently do have policies with our handguns, but we'd have to fine tune that to add rifles in and make adjustments,"" he said.
The city would cover the loss of the rifle if it is used in a duty capacity, but if it occurs while off-duty, it would not, Wahl said.
The city would also pay for ammunition used for on-duty use and required training. Any additional training would be the officer's responsibility.
Freakfest, ALRC student vote
Also passed at the meeting was the decision to appropriate close to $50,000 from the city's contingent reserve fund toward various expenses related to Freakfest.
The annual Halloween event is currently not in the budget.
Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, who represents the campus area, passed an amendment to add a student-voting member to the Alcohol License Review Committee.
Additional input will be heard by the ALRC, with final approval given by the council.
