1. Agency Updates
Esser reported all Madison Police Department districts have implemented a Summer
Strategic Plan that focuses on three areas -- stolen vehicles, shots fired and traffic. The
data-driven traffic areas of focus are Mineral Point Road, the Beltline and East
Washington Avenue. If there are four incidents within a half mile in the same week, a
response plan is created. Thefts of late-model Hyundai and Kia vehicles, which don't
require the key to steal, continue at a high rate. The manufacturers are working to correct
the problem. Shots fired remain steadily high on the East Side. Several guns have been
recovered when officers respond to bar-time fights in the Downtown District.
Barry reported Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) is testing its texting line
with the goal of launching it in early July. The agency has started spending some Housing
First funding and expects to hire a coordinator for the initiative soon. The program's focus
is on victims of intimate partner violence and getting them into housing -- not hotels or
shelters -- as quickly as possible. DAIS is in the process of writing a Department of
Children and Families Grant proposal. Due to changes in the process, the agency will
receive a minimum of $80,000 less in grant funding in 2023. The DAIS M.E.N.S. Club will
be in East High School for the first time starting in the fall.
Brown reported the Dane County District Attorney's Office continues to work the
backlog of cases caused by the 14-month period during which jury trials were suspended
at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of referrals for violent and
sensitive crimes remains high. Serious traffic cases, stolen vehicles and gun-related
crimes are happening at a higher rate than Brown has seen before. Higher cash bail
amounts are being requested in some cases in an effort to keep victims safe. Five
project attorneys are joining the office this summer to help reduce the burden caused by
the pandemic. The Crime Response Program, led by Julie Foley, continues work on the
Mass Casualty Violence Initiative. Victim Witness Unit employees are reading "What
Happened to You" by authors Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey; Brown recommended it
to Commission Members. The book uses up-to-date research and social circumstances
to explore trauma.
Kato reported The Rainbow Project Inc. is conducting interviews for multiple
personnel openings. Staff have attended week-long professional development sessions
around the country. Air purification equipment has been installed and children are now
receiving on-site services after a hiatus during the pandemic, with those families who
benefited least from virtual services receiving priority. Work on 2023 contracts with
community partners is underway. Referrals have increased, as has the waiting list. A
lack of funding for basic trauma recovery remains a problem. The Rhumba for Rainbow
fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 16.
Le Monds reported Neighborhood Intervention Program offices reopened to the public
this week after a pandemic hiatus. Remodeling of offices continues. Most employees are
working remotely, but in-person programming is available. Summer group programming is
underway, including three field trips, to keep youth engaged. Benefits from prevention
work in middle schools is evident. Youth are tracked through the end of high school and
a coordinator for 17 to 25 year olds is available to the higher-risk individuals once they
complete high school. Le Monds attended the recent Violence Prevention Coalition
meeting. The application is open for the Madison Forward Fund, a year-long guaranteed
income experimental program for Madison residents. The guaranteed income is a
monthly, cash payment of $500 given directly to 155 households for 12 months.The
Alan-Lee reported victims of sensitive crimes are presenting at UnityPoint Health
Meriter with more severe injuries than in the past. Three recent patients were involved in
incidents that included a death investigation. Eighty percent of patients in 2021 filed a
