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Madison City Council Votes To Review Police Policies In Wake Of Robinson Shooting

Council Asks Mayor To Appoint Committee To Carry Out Comprehensive Analysis

By
Preston Austin (CC-BY-SA)

The Madison City Council has asked the Mayor Paul Soglin to appoint a committee to carry out a comprehensive review of police policies and procedures, including the standards and training for use of deadly force.

The vote on Tuesday night follows protests over the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson by Officer Matt Kenny in March.

Robinson’s mother Andrea Irwin said she hopes the study leads to changes in the way police handle incidents like the one involving her son, in which a suspect is under the influence of drugs. Robinson was high on hallucinogenic mushrooms when he died.

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“When you’re under the influence of certain substances, you’re not going to be able to be compliant. And they know that, so there should be officers that are trained to handle those types of situations,” said Irwin.

Irwin wants a policy change that would require officers confronting someone high on drugs to wait for backup before acting on their own.

“Because otherwise you get into situation like this, where only two people know the story and one of them is dead,” said Irwin.

Activists from the Young Gifted and Black Coalition oppose the city’s plans to hire outside experts to help conduct the study. They want local citizens from minority communities most impacted by interactions with police to play a leading role. The measure approved by the council does call for the committee to include community members, but opponents say it’s not specific enough about what role those members would play in the study’s final recommendations.

The ultimate goal of the YGB group is to create a community policing authority that would have the power to hire and fire officers as well as determine the training procedures.

The city has earmarked $50,000 to cover the experts’ consulting fees.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said he’s ready to cooperate with the review, but added he’ll oppose any change in the standards for evaluating whether an officer is justified in using lethal force. He said that standard is governed by a 1989 U.S Supreme Court ruling and therefore can’t be changed.

Madison is one of many cities across the country re-examining policing procedures in response to fatal police shootings. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has just launched a tour of six cities to consult with police chiefs about how to improve community policing policies.