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.
(11) updates to this series since Updated
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.
Dane County Deputy District Attorney William Brown called the attack "one of the most horrific sexual assaults in recent memory here in Dane County."
“Becoming proficient in managing public records requests takes many months, and becoming an expert can take years,” UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas said.
Officers did not deploy lethal force, authorities said.
Despite his relatively low-profile preferences, Madison's acting police chief did indulge the Wisconsin State Journal in some interview questions and a bit of a photoshoot.
