Police

Special Events Team (SET)

Who we are and what we do

  • a structured group of officers and command staff with specialized training in crowd management and crowd control techniques to respond to events that are beyond the capabilities and staffing of patrol
  • plan, implement, and analyze police services required to manage planned or spontaneous events
  • SET includes a bike team, a field extrication team, a grenadier team, a logistics team, and a medics team

Our philosophy and principals on managing crowds

  • we will protect the rights of people to peacefully assemble, to consult for the common good, and to petition the government or any department thereof
  • to the degree that it can be done safely, it is preferred that crowd participants self regulate and manage their own events
  • establish communication with the event organizers whenever possible to create mutual understanding, generate cooperation and compliance, and to prevent disorder
  • obligated to protect community members' rights while maintaining order, protecting property, and ensuring safety, peace, and order

 

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The "Madison Method"

  1. PROTECT

    We PROTECT community members' constitutional rights to assemble, petition the government, and engage in free speech.

  2. IMPARTIAL

    We are IMPARTIAL and remain neutral regardless of the issue. 

  3. OPEN DIALOGUE

    We maintain OPEN DIALOGUE with community members and the news media before, during, and after demonstrations. 

  4. MONITOR

    We MONITOR demonstrations and marches to protect individual rights and ensure public safety. 

  5. BALANCE

    We BALANCE the rights of demonstrators with the rights of the community at large. 

  6. RESTRAINT

    We use RESTRAINT in the use of force. We protect people first and property second. 

  7. CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT

    We, as PEACE OFFICERS pursue CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT of our method. 

Mission of our Special Events Team

The mission of the Madison Police Department's Special Events Team (SET) is to protect the first amendment right of community members to assemble peacefully and to voice their opinions on issues that are often sensitive and emotional in nature. We believe in the dignity of all people and respect individual and constitutional rights in fulfilling this mission. Members of SET have an obligation to protect community members' rights, yet maintain order and protect life and property.

 

Our Crowd Management Philosophy

  • It is the responsibility of MPD personnel to protect the rights of people to peaceably assemble, to consult for the common good, and to petition the government or any department thereof.
  • When working with crowds, the overall police philosophy must be one of moderation and flexibility. To the degree that it can be done safely, it is preferred that crowd participants self-regulate and manage their own events.
  • Communication between police and event organizers before and during events can create mutual understanding, generate cooperation and compliance, and prevent disorder. During crowd events, MPD personnel may make announcements to the crowd; these announcements are designed to convey general information, to communicate targeted information to specific individuals, and to serve as a de-escalation tool by directing and informing the crowd in an attempt to prevent the need for police action.
  • Crowds are dynamic in nature. The totality of the circumstances must inform the decision to introduce police action to maintain public safety. The preferred police response is one of crowd management rather than crowd control.
  • MPD personnel have an obligation to protect community members’ rights while maintaining order, protecting property, and ensuring safety, peace, and order. Freedom of speech, association, and assembly, and the right to petition the government are subject to reasonable restrictions on the time, place, and manner of expression.
  • When deciding whether to use certain police tactics within a crowd, MPD personnel must always balance the benefits of such action(s) to maintain public safety and order along with the impact on the demonstration participants’ freedom of speech and assembly, and the impact on people and property. MPD personnel prioritize life, safety, protection of property, and constitutional rights, with an emphasis on life safety.
  • When safe and feasible and without compromising public safety, MPD personnel should seek opportunities to reduce the likelihood of the need to use force. Our goal while managing large events is to maintain order; our officers are trained to respond with only the amount of force necessary to accomplish this goal. This includes confronting people regarding city ordinance violations, illegal activity, affecting arrests for serious violations, and discouraging unlawful behavior.


 

Specialty Teams within our Special Events Team

SET Bike Team

The SET Bike Team provides a nimble response option for SET personnel beyond the range and capabilities of on-foot SET personnel. Additionally, this team provides increased accessibility to the public.

Officers on the SET Bike Team attend biannual team trainings that focus on riding and team formations as well as bike handling skills. Riding skills and techniques come from the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Bicycle Crowd Control team training standards.

SET Community Dialogue Team

The SET Community Dialogue Team (CDT) exists to provide informational and educational opportunities about event and demonstration activities. During events, CDT members work closely with Community Dialogue Representatives and serve as Demonstration/Event Liaisons when feasible.  Members of CDT train biannually on topics such as de-escalation, procedural justice, and conflict resolution.

SET Dignitary Protection Team

The SET Dignitary Protection Team (DPT) may be used during dignitary visits within the jurisdiction of MPD.  Members of DPT train biannually and receive specialized training in skills related to planning dignitary visits, providing direct dignitary protection, and driving in a motorcade. 

SET Field Extrication Team

The SET Field Extrication Team (FXT) is an internal resource to allow Madison Police Department personnel to better respond to protest events. Members of FXT have specialized training and skills to safely extricate persons from protest devices. Such extrication efforts may be necessary when demonstrators’ actions and/or practices unreasonably impede traffic, restrict the public’s freedom of movement, and/or jeopardize public safety.

Members of FXT train on a quarterly basis and receive specialized training at the Federal Emergency Management Agency Center for Domestic Preparedness.

Specialty Teams within our Special Events Team

SET Grenadier Unit

The SET Grenadier Unit exists to ensure the safety of demonstrators, bystanders, and law enforcement officers during crowd control incidents by deploying officers with specialized training and equipment. This training and equipment give SET the capability to safely disperse crowds engaged in unlawful, destructive, and dangerous behavior while maintaining a standoff distance between law enforcement and those engaged in the unlawful assembly. This distance decreases the likelihood of a physical confrontation and can prevent the need for physical intervention options to disperse unlawful assemblies, which results in safer outcomes for everyone involved. Members of the Grenadier Unit train biannually.
 

SET Logistics Team

The SET Logistics Team is responsible for the organization, standard guidelines, and maintenance of SET’s physical assets. SET equipment includes, but is not limited to, individual protective hard gear for all team members, specialty vehicles and trailers, and other dedicated tools and equipment that allow the team to manage crowds in accordance with the “Madison Method” and MPD’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). Members of the Logistics Team ensure that the entire team is well-prepared when team activations occur.

SET Medics Team

The SET Medics Team augments the capabilities of SET by providing immediate emergency casualty care for officers and community members when it is not safe or feasible for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to immediately respond. The Medics Team consists of approximately 16 team members, each possessing a wide range of training, experience and certifications (including Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Basic First Aid). Several members of the Medics Team have worked or volunteered in EMS and a number of our officers are certified through the Wisconsin State Department of Justice as Tactical Emergency Casualty Care instructors.

SET Medics receive quarterly training that includes lectures, skills-based training, and scenarios. The SET Medics Team operates under the guidance of the Madison Police Department’s Medical Director, Dr. Ashley Anderson, MD.

 

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