MADISON, Wis. — In a resolution Sunday night, two members of Madison’s Police Civilian Oversight Board demanded that the Police and Fire Commission postpone any decision on the city’s next chief.
In the resolution, PCOB members Ankita Bharadwaj and Ananda Deacon requests that the PCOB “discuss and decide on the individual we will recommend to PFC to hire as police chief, within a week of [Sunday night],” and recommends to the PFC that it release “full footage and transcript of the final round candidate interviews to the public.” The resolution also recommends that the PFC maintain “regular communication” with the PCOB and take the PCOB’s candidate recommendation with “full priority consideration.”
The PFC is scheduled to meet Monday.
In a tweet, Bharadwaj called for an emergency PCOB meeting next Sunday, Dec. 20.
The resolution also noted that the PFC has moved forward “without the involvement of the PCOB” which “completely contradicts and undermines the purpose of the board, which was assembled in October and approved unanimously by the Madison Common Council.
Earlier this month, the PFC named its four finalists for police chief: Shon Barnes, Ramon Batista Jr., Christopher Davis and Larry Scirotto. Recordings of the final interviews with all four candidates were released to the public last week.
Although they have taken and take the public’s comment into account, it is the sole discretion of the PFC to choose the city’s next chief, a position that has been held by interim chief Vic Wahl for more than a year.
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