Multiple cases against Madison Police Chief Mike Koval moved forward at a Police and Fire Commission meeting Monday.
Three separate cases against Koval went before the commission in a pretrial hearing. One of the plaintiffs is Sharon Irwin, the grandmother of Tony Robinson.
Since the shooting death of her grandson, Irwin said she’s been left in the dark.
“There’s a lot of things that need to be taken care of,” Irwin said. “Accountability is one of them and I don’t feel that anyone is accountable.”
The already contentious relationship with the Madison Police Department came to a head at a common council meeting back in June. At the meeting, a $400,000 review of police policies and practices was approved.
Koval walked out of the meeting twice and allegedly called Irwin a “raging lunatic” after she brought up the officer involved in Robinson’s death.
“’Oh, so what Matt Kenny says goes?’ is what I said, and that’s when I became a ‘raging lunatic’,” Irwin said.
Shortly thereafter, Irwin filed a formal complaint against the chief, accusing him of 37 separate violations.
“I’m doing this because it’s right and it’s honorable,” Irwin said.
The Madison PFC met to discuss a possible hearing date. Koval wasn’t present but his attorney, Lester Pines, spoke on his behalf.
“There are two questions. What happened? And then the question is: Is that a violation of the rules or regulation or law?” Pines said. “Then there is a third question, which is: And then what happens?”
More questions will be answered on Nov. 16, which is the scheduled date of the hearing.
“What we hope will ultimately result from this process is a resolution from this issue with better relationships, the best relationships possible,” Pines said.
That’s a sentiment not too far off from Irwin’s opinion.
“My ideal situation is a community police that we work together with,” Irwin said.
Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores and Roxane Stillman also filed complaints. Kilfoy-Flores’ hearing date is also set for Nov. 16. Stillman’s date is not yet set and her complaint could be dismissed.
