Madison residents may see police body cameras and possible structural changes to Common Council in the near future, with alders approving amendments to increase police body camera funding and aldermanic salaries during 2015 Capital and Operating Budget deliberations Tuesday.
The approved amendments to the Operating Budget stipulate an additional $30,000 to the Madison Police Department budget and an additional $2,000 per year for Council member salaries.
The proposed police body camera program, although considered almost universally necessary to alders, caused tensions to run high between members of the community giving testimony on opposing sides at the public hearing.
“The police don’t need more money,” one speaker said. “There is strong police distrust, but that will not be solved by adding more surveillance.”
City officials tried to balance resident fears by articulating during Council debate the logistics and feasibility of the program, which will provide each officer with a point-of-view body camera and is expected to protect both police and residents alike.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, characterized the program as a “big win on transparency.”
MPD Chief Mike Koval addressed privacy concerns and allegations of distrust in his report to the Council.
“I’ve heard from constituents from underrepresented communities in our midst. There is sort of a manifest distrust based on what they have previously heard. And obviously there are privacy issues and I think yes, privacy is everybody’s concern,” Koval said. “[But] I really don’t think we have the same sort of manifest distrust that a lot of other communities have.”
During debate regarding whether or not alder salaries should be raised, some Council members expressed concerns about the “optics” of the situation to their constituents.
“I look at our city staff and worry about what their raises are going to be. I do worry about what message it sends,” Ald. Lisa Subeck, District 1, said. “There are certainly times when optics matter, and this is one of those times [but] I think this [salary increase] is a much needed move in the right direction.”
The idea behind increased salaries is to hopefully diversify the background of candidates able to run for Council, according to Ald. Steve King, District 7. But structural changes to the institution as a whole, in particular making the position of Council president a full-time salaried position, will require more debate and time.
“I think there is certainly a larger and broader discussion that we need to have,” Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, said. “I do think we need to be very very thoughtful about any larger structural changes.”
Common Council voted to approve both the Capital and Operating Budgets, totaling $247.7 million and $282.9 million respectively.
