Madison Police Department launches Hate Crime Task Force

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – The Madison Police Department has launched a new task force to identify and prevent hate crimes in Madison. The team will be monitoring any threats to the Madison community, and investigate reports of hate crimes in Madison. The task force will run for 90 days, after which they will meet with Madison police officials to discuss what more needs to be done to address hate crimes.

Police Chief Shon Barnes says that the main goal of the task force is to reaffirm to the public that they take hate crimes seriously. He says that many incidents of hate never get reported, and people who experience a bias-motivated crime don’t feel like they’ve been subjected to a crime. He says that part of the goal of the task force is to get people to report those hate incidents and allow the police department to determine whether or not a hate crime has been committed.

The task force is made up of people in several different fields, from police detectives to community outreach officers to crime analysts. The team will investigate reported hate incidents, help the communities that are affected by those incidents, and work with the community to proactively look into any warning signs of a hate crime.

The U.S. Justice Department says that, across Wisconsin, hate crimes have almost doubled since 2020, most of which are targeted at people due to their race or ethnicity. In 2022, the last year the department has data, there were 152 bias-motivated crimes reported across the state. Last year, the Madison Police Department sent 21 cases with a hate crime enhancer to the District Attorney’s office.

While there have been several high profile hate incidents in Madison since the October 7th attack on Israel, Barnes says that reports of hate crimes have held steady over recent months. But what has gone up, he says, is a sense of fear in all minority communities in Madison. He says he’s spoken with leaders in the Jewish and Muslim communities in recent months to talk with them about what needs to be done in Madison.

“Madison is a safe place for everyone,” Barnes says. “Our city has a long history of inclusivity and tolerance, and I don’t want that to leave with my tenure here.”

Barnes says that anyone who witnesses a potential hate incident reach out to the police department immediately. If they are able to take a picture or video of the incident, Barnes says that it could be used to help catch the person responsible for the hate incident.