Madison’s Common Council approved eight new police officers Tuesday night to be added later this year.
Council members approved spending roughly $416,000 to hire the new officers during an early-morning vote Wednesday.
The motion passed on a 17-2 vote despite several alders expressing concerns about hiring more officers at a time when trust in police departments around the country is low. Alders Rebecca Kemble and Marsha Rummel voted against the addition of more police officers.
Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said the department simply does not have time to wait because of the timeline for the next officer recruiting class. He said the extra police are needed now because of a heavy workload.
The eight officers will be hired from an academy class that starts in May.
