MADISON, Wis. — A little more than two weeks after naming an Independent Police Monitor — only to see the pick back out of the job 10 days ago — the city’s Police Civilian Oversight Board has made another choice for the role.
The civilian board has named Robert Copley to the role, according to an announcement from the city Friday afternoon.
The first hire for the role, former Wisconsin Parole Commission chair John Tate II, decided against taking the job on October 18 as the city was working to finalize his contract. Tate would have been paid a salary of $125,000 per year had he not chosen to pursue a different opportunity.
According to the city’s release Friday, Copley will make slightly less — $122,000 per year — pending approval from the city’s Common Council.
Copley has a law degree from Marquette University, and has previously worked as the Milwaukee Police Department’s open records legal advisor and a paralegal for the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission. He has also managed the Divison of Medicaid Services’ open records requests.
“I am so excited to get started, and about everything that this position can become and what this office can do,” Copley said in a statement released by the city.
The chair of the Police Civilian Oversight Board, Keetra Burnette, said Copley’s experience will serve him well if he is approved as the City of Madison’s first Independent Police Monitor.
“We are confident that his enthusiasm to serve in this capacity combined with his extensive background – which includes experience developing processes to ensure transparency and expedite public records requests for civilian complaints of police misconduct – will provide a solid foundation from which our inaugural Office of the Independent Police Monitor will be built,” Burnette said.
Copley was among the finalists for the job announced in August, before Tate was ultimately selected by the board.
The position of Independent Police Monitor was created by the Common Council in September 2020 with the goal of overseeing the Madison Police Department’s compliance with internal policies and procedures. Applications for the role didn’t open until last July. This past January, the only finalist at the time for the job withdrew from consideration, citing family reasons.
If approved by the Common Council, Copley would begin his role as Independent Police Monitor on December 5, 2022.
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