The Madison Common Council voted to pass a resolution to honor former Madison Chief of Police Mike Koval at its Tuesday night meeting, despite Koval’s resistance.
The resolution, titled “Expressing sincere appreciation to Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval for his years of dedicated service and congratulate him on his retirement,” passed after Koval requested it be rescinded. Koval also rejected an initial honor proposal from Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9.
The approved resolution was recommended to the Common Council on Jan. 29 by Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney, District 1. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, along with 16 other city alders, sponsored the resolution. It was passed despite Koval’s past disagreements with Common Council members regarding a series of police shootings from 2012-16 and a 2015 proposal by the council to bring in a consultant to monitor MPD activities.
The resolution cited several of Koval’s accomplishments, that included “securing funding to open a new MPD district station for the Midtown District” and “solidifying MPD’s reputation as a national leader in hiring and promoting women and people of color.”
Koval unexpectedly resigned in September. In a blog post announcing his retirement, Koval expressed frustration at his inability to secure more staffing for the department — which he described as 31 officers short of a full staff.
“The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison express their sincere appreciation to Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval for his years of dedicated service and congratulate him on his retirement,” McKinney wrote in the resolution.
Koval has yet to publicly respond to the approval of the resolution.
