OFFICIALS TALK UP NEW POLICING PLAN

The Madison Police Department is getting a warm reception for plans to
deploy more officers to neighborhoods.

The department intends to create new Community Policing Teams comprised of
one sergeant and five officers in each of the city's five districts, Chief
Richard Williams and other supervisors told city officials Tuesday.

To do so, the department will redeploy two sergeants and 10 officers from
the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force, a sergeant and six officers
from the evening Traffic Enforcement Safety Team, two sergeants from within
the department and nine patrol officers.

The drug task force inspection unit and the daytime traffic unit will
remain intact.

Police supervisors discussed the plan in separate meetings with Mayor Dave
Cieslewicz and the City Council.

Cieslewicz had a "cautiously favorable" reaction to the proposal, saying it
will let police redeploy resources more effectively and with more flexibility.

Council members said the teams shouldn't simply be backup for routine
patrol and that the department should collect data to measure effectiveness.

Although the police don't need approval by Cieslewicz or the council, the
department intends to discuss its initiative with city officials and
committees and the public before moving forward early next year, Williams said.

A final plan should be ready by September and shifts will change in January
2004, he said.

The change continues a tradition of progressive policing initiatives, such
as the deployment of neighborhood officers in 1985 and the "Blue Blanket"
response to drugs and gang violence in 1991, Williams said.

The new community teams will be able to deal quickly with drug and traffic
problems but deliver more flexibility to address other concerns in
districts, Assistant Chief Noble Wray said.

Most crime problems are district related, not city-wide, North District
Capt. Mike Masterson said.

The new teams can be more proactive through "knock and talks" with citizens
and visible patrols, Masterson said.

And "it's going to give me a lot of latitude on snowy days when there are a
lot of accidents," he said.

The Madison police officers union president, Scott Favour, said, "We're not
going to interdict 10 kilos from Colombia, but we can interdict a guy
selling five rocks (of crack cocaine) on the corner."

The districts can also share resources, Masterson said.

The change won't diminish regular beat patrols or cost more, he said.