The energy-efficient bulbs humming in his office are typically the closest John Patterson gets to the limelight.
Since taking over as Madison's interim police chief in early February, John Patterson frequently has been asked about body-worn cameras and school resource officers. However, both issues require more dialogue with city and community leaders and involve budget considerations, he said.
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Behind his quiet persona are a healthy appetite for humor and a love of coffee, "my only vice," says Madison's interim police chief, John Patterson.
A toy Madison Police Department police car sits on the windowsill in interim Chief John Patterson's office. Scrabble tiles next to the car spell out "be present," which he called a guiding principle.
Read years of State Journal coverage of the debate over police body cameras in Madison
Madison city officials and activists have been debating whether to make body cameras standard police equipment since at least 2014.
The council, after a marathon meeting with impassioned debate, voted 11-9 about 4 a.m. Wednesday to let the city begin preparations for a yearlong body-worn camera pilot program in the Police Department's North District
Vote on latest resolution to equip Madison police with body cameras is too close to call.
The meetings are the latest twist in the city's yearslong debate over whether to adopt the increasingly common technology.
The City Council has been narrowly split on the technology, and the mayor has declined to take a position.
The survey by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association found strong support for police generally, but less among nonwhite respondents.
Into this drama steps the City Council's yet-to-be-elected president along with 19 other people, including nine new faces, to be sworn in April 20.
Two conditions seek to mitigate or limit the use of cameras if they are associated with an uptick in the number of people being charged with crimes.
At least, 13 of 24 law enforcement agencies in Dane County use body cameras. Five of Wisconsin's 10 largest city police departments have them.
"No one though is proposing that video cameras are a panacea," said UW-Madison law professor Keith Findley.
More than half of law enforcement agencies in Dane County employ the cameras.
Majorities of white and nonwhite respondents believed that most people shot by police were black or members of other minority groups.
