Baldwin Secures Funds for Law Enforcement in Dane County and Beloit
(7/26/07)

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has secured federal funds for three law enforcement projects that will benefit many communities in south central Wisconsin. The funds were included in the FY 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill that was passed recently by the House of Representatives.

“Once again, I’m proud to secure federal funds for these important community policing projects,” said Baldwin. “Partnering with police departments, the federal government can play a role in improving public safety and security while allowing local law enforcement officers the leeway they need to best do their jobs,” Baldwin said.

The City of Madison will receive $100,000 for a Gang and Violent Crime Intervention Project whose goal is to implement effective problem analysis specifically focused on gang and violent crime activities in Dane County. In this project, analysts extract information from the records systems and the County dispatch center to identify trends and patterns of incidents reported to police. They then employ specialized tools including mapping and linking software to identify patterns such as time of day, day of week, target preference, environmental conditions, methods of attack, etc. Identifying such links is the foundation for problem solving and allows for more effective utilization of resources.

The City of Beloit will receive $100,000 for police department technology upgrades. Beloit had requested funds for equipment to help reduce illegal gunfire and, thereby, increase community safety.

The cities of Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, and Middleton will jointly use $300,000 for their ongoing shared technology project for which Congresswoman Baldwin previously secured $575,000. The three communities have partnered together over the past four years to develop a shared records management system, available to the police officers in all three, growing communities. The partnership has asked to be included in the State of Wisconsin’s new Wisconsin Justice Gateway, which will further enhance information sharing with law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

A Senate appropriations bill is pending. Anyone with questions or comments can contact WPPA Assistant Executive Director Jim Palmer, either by telephone at 800.362.8838, or by e-mail at palmer@wppa.com.