Here & Now

Madison Alder Bidar-Sielaff Defends MPD Investigation

A WAR OF WORDS THIS WEEK BETWEEN MADISON COMMON COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MADISON POLICE CHIEF MIKE KOVAL. AT ISSUE, THE COUNCIL’S ADDING $350,000 OF NEW MONEY TO A PRE-EXISTING $50,000 TO FUND A STUDY OF THE MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT PRACTICES AND POLICY. THE ORIGINAL $50,000 WAS EARMARKED FOLLOWING THE 2015 SHOOTING DEATH OF A MADISON TEEN BY AN OFFICER ON DUTY ON MADISON’S NEAR EAST SIDE. THE WEEK BEGAN WITH POLICE CHIEF MIKE KOVAL BLASTING THE COUNCIL IN A BLOG POST, WHERE HE CLAIMED THE MONEY IS BETTER USED FOR OTHER CITY NEEDS. ALDER SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF WAS A LEAD SPONSOR OF THE MEASURE CALLING FOR A REVIEW OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND SHE JOINS US NOW. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, WE WANTED TO ASK, WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC CONCERNS PROMPTING THE CALL FOR A REVIEW OF THE CITY’S POLICE DEPARTMENT?

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

I THINK THAT IT IS A NATIONAL CONTEXT OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND WHAT COMMUNITIES WANT FROM POLICING AND SPECIFICALLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. WE ALSO HAVE A CONTEXT LOCALLY WHERE WE’VE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR INEQUITIES WITHIN THE CITY OF MADISON AND TRUST GAPS THAT HAVE EXISTED FOR A LONG TIME BETWEEN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR SPECIFICALLY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN GENERAL. I THINK IT’S WITHIN THAT CONTEXT THAT WE FORMED A COMMITTEE OF RESIDENTS TO REALLY DISCUSS WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE HAPPEN AROUND THE REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PRACTICES OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND THEY RECOMMENDED TO HAVE A STUDY, A TRANSPARENT, THIRD-PARTY LOOK AT THE POLICY AND PRACTICES OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT KINDS OF POLICIES AND PRACTICES DO CITIZENS AND YOURSELF AND THE COUNCIL WANT TO LOOK AT?

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

I THINK COMPREHENSIVELY. I THINK IT REALLY RANGES FROM THE POLICIES AND PRACTICES AND TRAINING AROUND USE OF FORCE. THE TRAINING THAT OUR OFFICERS RECEIVE ON UNCONSCIOUS BIAS. AND, AGAIN, THIS IS MEANT TO BE A WAY TO HOPEFULLY CONFIRM WHAT WE ALL KNOW, WHICH IS WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR BEING REALLY A BEST PRACTICE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BUT I THINK THERE IS A NEED FROM MANY ANGLES TO HEAR THAT FROM, AGAIN, AN INDEPENDENT, THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANT THAT REALLY CAN CONFIRM SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE AND CERTAINLY I KNOW ABOUT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO THAT IS YOUR PERSONAL BELIEF, THAT IN FACT MADISON POLICE ARE CONDUCTING BEST PRACTICES?

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

IT IS MY DEFINITE BELIEF THAT THE MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT IS A NATIONAL BEST PRACTICE AND THAT THIS STUDY WILL CONFIRM THAT IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF AREAS WE DO TREMENDOUS WORK. I THINK THAT WITH ANY DEPARTMENT OF THIS SIZE, THAT THERE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, AND I’M HOPING THAT THIS STUDY WILL ALSO GIVE THE TOOLS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO WORK ON THOSE AREAS THAT MAY EMERGE AS AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY SPEND $400,000 TO DO IT?

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

BECAUSE THE COMMITTEE TOOK THE TIME TO LOOK AT OTHER STUDIES OF THIS MAGNITUDE AROUND THE COUNTRY. THERE WAS VERY FEW CONSULTANTS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE THE LEVEL OF EXPERTISE THAT IS REQUIRED TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS KIND OF STUDY. THAT’S WHAT THEY CHARGE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE IS NOW IN THE MIDST OF SOMETHING CALLED A COLLABORATIVE REVIEW PROCESS OF ITS POLICE DEPARTMENT BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. WHY NOT GO THAT ROUTE?

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE MESSAGE THAT IS SENT WHEN YOU GO THAT ROUTE IS THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS, THERE ARE VERY DEEP PROBLEMS IN A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, AND ACTUALLY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE MAKES THE SELECTION OF THE CITIES THAT THEY ACCEPT TO THAT PROCESS BASED ON THE DEPTH OF ISSUES THAT THERE IS. I’M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE WOULDN’T QUALIFY FOR THAT KIND OF REVIEW.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND SO IT ALMOST SOUNDS AS THOUGH THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS TO SPEND $400,000 TO CONFIRM THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS DOING MOST EVERYTHING RIGHT.

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

YES. IT MAY SOUND THAT WAY, BUT I THINK THAT IT IS — HOW MUCH IS THE TRUST OF COMMUNITY WORTH TO US AND HOW MUCH CONFIRMING WHAT, AGAIN, WE NATURALLY KNOW IS IMPORTANT TO US, AND I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK THAT WE MAY KNOW AS MUCH. I DON’T THINK THAT EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY THINKS AND KNOWS THAT. AND I DON’T THINK EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS THE LEVEL OF TRUST AND BELIEVES ME? THE MAYOR? THE CHIEF OF POLICE?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THE COMMUNITY WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, OKAY, ALL RIGHT, WE’RE ON BOARD THEN AND WE’LL WORK WITH YOU IN BUILDING MORE TRUST.

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

THAT IS CORRECT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO CHIEF MIKE KOVAL CALLING PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT SPENDING THIS MONEY TO CONDUCT THIS REVIEW THE PERPETUALLY-OFFENDED INTENT ON USING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS A POLITICAL PUNCHING BAG?

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

I THINK THOSE ARE UNFORTUNATE COMMENTS. I THINK CALLING ANY MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITYAND THESE ARE BROAD–THERE IS A VERY HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE — THAT I TALK TO THAT HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH ME THAT FEEL THAT IT IS REALLY VERY APPROPRIATE TO DO THIS KIND OF THIRD-PARTY REVIEW. AND SO PUTTING THAT KIND OF LABEL ON OUR RESIDENTS AND CERTAINLY ON AN ELECTED GROUP OF OFFICIAL IS A VERY UNFORTUNATE WAY OF DIMINISHING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF LAW ENFORCEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE. SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SHIVA BIDAR-SIELAFF:

THANK YOU.