Ordinance Amendments Introducing New Public Reporting Requirements for the Office of the Independent Monitor and Police Civilian Oversight Board

On the Common Council agenda tonight is Item 66, Legistar 92386, which proposes amending Subsections 5.19(6) and (8) and creating Subsection 5.20(11) of the Madison General Ordinances (MGO) to add new public reporting requirements for the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) and the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB). This item is being introduced only, so there is no opportunity for public comment at tonight's Common Council meeting. Legistar 92386 will next be considered by the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) tomorrow (3/25/26) and is scheduled to return to the Common Council on 4/21/26 for a final vote.

The lead sponsor of this ordinance amendment, Alder Govindarajan (whose term will expire on April 7), has stated that the intent of these proposed changes is to improve communication, provide clearer expectations for reporting and oversight, and clarify the operational structure of the OIM within City of Madison government. I thank the Alder from District 8 for initiating these changes and supporting these goals; however, I am choosing not to add my name as a co‑sponsor at this time. I feel it is important to first attend tomorrow's Police Civilian Oversight Board meeting, where this item will be discussed in greater detail.

The timing of these proposed amendments is no coincidence and is a direct result of the Office of the Independent Monitor's Annual Report, released on March 15. I have concerns about this annual report that go beyond the front‑cover image that have received the most attention. Although the report has since been taken down from the City website and is under review, the public can still watch the recording of the March 19 press conference given by the Office of the Independent Monitor. 

YouTube: Source: https://youtu.be/0l5dMCLkqVc?si=fgautENeV4h5RdfI
Madison City Channel: https://media.cityofmadison.com/mediasite/Showcase/madison-city-channel/Presentation/bcba1d2be5444c9fbf3645796d52ce201d

During that briefing, the Interim Independent Police Monitor stated that, in their short time serving in this interim role, they have observed a pattern of overuse of the Disorderly Conduct charge. The press conference revealed that the annual report had combined Madison General Ordinance (MGO) 24.02 civil citations with Wisconsin Statute 947.01 criminal arrests into a single “Disorderly Conduct" category. During Q&A there was some debate if the data should have been grouped with criminal charges.

I encourage residents to review the video of the March 19 press conference and look forward to the updated annual report, which I hope will clarify the data analysis process related to Disorderly Conduct when it becomes available to the public. In the meantime, the Police Civilian Oversight Board has released a draft its own Annual Report, which is now available for the public to read. This report will be discussed at tomorrow's PCOB virtual meeting, immediately before consideration of the proposed ordinance amendments related to public reporting requirements for the OIM and PCOB. Like Common Council meetings, the PCOB meeting are open to the public. Information on how to register to speak, or to register in support or opposition (without speaking), can be found on the City of Madison website: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/police-civilian-oversight-board/2026-03-25

If you would like to join the March 26 PCOB meeting as an observer, please visit https://www.cityofmadison.com/watchmeetings or listen by phone: (877) 853‑5257 (Toll Free), Webinar ID: 875 8049 4232.