Madison Police Department approved to hire additional patrol officer

The City of Madison will add another patrol officer to its police department.  Police Chief Justin Meyer requested the addition during the Madison City Commission’s meeting Monday. 

Meyer told commissioners that his department will be temporarily losing an officer starting this fall due to National Guard deployment, which will last more than a year.  

Meyer said that there are currently thirteen officers in the department, so another one would put them at fourteen.  He said that they would be in a good position as far as their ratio of officers to residents.

Commissioner Adam Shaw said he supported adding another officer.

Meyer said that the quality of applicants he has been receiving for the department’s current patrol officer position has been the best they have had in a long time.  He said that many of them are already state certified and in good standing, so would save the city money by not having to send the officers through additional training.  

Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of the police department hiring an additional patrol officer.