As the Common Council prepares to vote tonight on whether to terminate Interim Independent Police Monitor Aeiramique Glass, three developments in the ongoing dispute between the council, the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) and the Office of the Independent Monitor have come to light:
- Glass released confidential communications to a member of the Common Council, who posted them on Facebook
- Glass has appointed an attorney to represent the grandmother of Tony Robinson in a forthcoming complaint before the Police and Fire Commission
- MPD has stymied Glass’s attempts to obtain additional records regarding the conduct of Officer Matthew Kenny, who shot and killed Robinson on March 4, 2015
Here’s executive editor Rob Chappell explaining the whole story:
Confidential communications
Glass disclosed privileged records to a member of the Madison Common Council, according to a memo provided by City Attorney Michael Haas to the Common Council Monday.
Haas’s memo includes a memo to him from Madison Assistant Police Chief Angie Kamoske, saying she saw information posted to an alder’s Facebook page that she knew she had shared only with Glass, and that she had told Glass that the information was privileged and not to be shared with anyone else.
In an interview with Madison365, Glass acknowledged that she had shared emails between Deputy City Attorney Patricia Lauten and Madison Police Department records manager Simone Munson with Common Council Vice President Carmella Glenn, knowing those communications were designated as “red flag,” meaning they were shared by MPD with OIM but not to be released publicly. A memorandum of understanding between MPD and OIM provides for a category of confidential records that MPD can share with OIM, but OIM cannot share with anyone else.
One of the emails in question is a May 2025 message from Deputy City Attorney Patricia Lauten to MPD records manager Simone Munson. In that email, Lauten notes that the estate of Richard Lee Johnson, who died in police custody in December 2024, had retained an attorney and were likely planning to sue the city. In preparation for defense of a lawsuit, Lauten was inquiring as to what records MPD had or could release, and instructing Munson to preserve all audio and video recordings related to the case.
Another email advises that city officials can prepare to defend against a civil lawsuit even while the district attorney considers whether to file charges against the officers involved.
The officers ultimately were not charged, and Johnson’s death was ruled an accidental overdose. In June, Glass issued a report citing an independent pathologist, Dr. Victor Weedn, who said Johnson died due to prone restraint and subsequent neglect by officers who should have been able to discern that he was in urgent need of medical attention.
Also in the “red flag” documents Glass released to Glenn was correspondence from Madison Police Chief John Patterson asking Glass to arrange a training for Madison police officers and firefighters about new science regarding prone restraint, and Glass’s response that she was unable to arrange that training because Weedn is now an employee of the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office and Glass has no authority to compel him to train Madison police officers.
Glenn posted the screenshots to her official Common Council Facebook page on October 14, and archived the post Tuesday after learning the material was privileged.
Glass told Madison365 she’s “not sorry,” and said she shared the privileged material after the resolution was introduced to terminate her employment on October 6. Part of that resolution, and subsequent news coverage, implies that she was been reluctant to cooperate with other agencies regarding cases her office has investigated – namely, the Johnson case. She said she shared the records with Glenn to demonstrate that she was prevented from cooperating by restrictions in information sharing, among other barriers.
PCOB chair Devon Snyder said he understands why she shared the privileged materials, given the circumstances.
“She’s doing everything in her power to show her side of the story,” Snyder said. “I think if circumstances were different, and say there weren’t all these smear campaigns, they weren’t trying to terminate her, and she was just sending that to Alder Glenn, then I think there would be issues. but I think the circumstances surrounding why she sent them, I support.”
Glenn said she wasn’t aware that the material Glass had shared was privileged.
The Kenny investigation continues
Glass told Madison365 late Monday that she has appointed attorney Damon Etawlyah to represent Sharon Irwin, the grandmother of Tony Robinson, in a complaint before the Madison Police and Fire Commission.
The OIM has $50,000 in its budget to retain attorneys on behalf of complainants, with a $15,000 limit on any single case. The office maintains a list of approved attorneys, and Irwin chose Etawlyah from that list.
Meanwhile, according to email messages obtained by Madison365, a Madison Police Department assistant chief told Glass that a trove of records Glass had requested in April regarding Kenny’s tenure with the police department – including reports related to Professional Standards and Internal Affairs (PSIA) investigations, use of force incidents, complaints and other records – should be available to her on October 19.
Glass told Madison365 that MPD did not provide any records, and ignored an email from her inquiring about the records on the afternoon of October 19.
Madison Police Officer Matthew Kenny shot and killed Robinson on March 4, 2015. Kenny was not charged criminally and remains a member of the Madison Police Department.
Irwin filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Monitor before Glass started as interim police monitor in December 2025.
The investigatory timeline
Glass told Madison365 that Irwin had already filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Monitor when she took over as interim in December 2025. Emails obtained by Madison365 show that OIM data analyst Greg Gelimbiuk had been corresponding with MPD Assistant Chief Angie Komaske in January 2026, seeking video records related to Kenny’s shooting of Robinson.
In April, according to the emails, Glass requested “Officer Matthew Kenny’s entire personnel file, all PSIA investigations, use of force reports, all citizens complaints, internal complaints, disciplinary records ( even if none resulted, I would like the report/s findings) all Incident reports involving Officer Matthew Kenny during his entire time with MPD to date.” A few days later, Komaske asked whether Glass was requesting “all incident reports for every call that he has responded to in his employment with MPD,” noting that records search would “yield thousands of calls.” Glass clarified that she did not need every report related to every call Kenny had responded to.
“I don’t need all his police reports, but I do need all the police & incident reports that resulted in a related PSIA review/ investigations, all use of force Incident reports, citizens’ complaints, internal complaints (formal or informal), disciplinary history, and the personnel file,” she wrote on May 4.
Glass told Madison365 that in a subsequent in-person conversation, Komaske told Glass there were some issues locating older records, and that MPD records staff was stretched thin, which is why it was taking a long time to sift through records related to Kenny.
On July 6, Glass wrote, “ I’ll just take everything that you have for Matthew Kenney, and I will go through it all myself.”
On July 7, Komaske responded, “Just to make sure we are both on the same page regarding the reports, you would like all reports authored by PO Kenny for the duration of his career with MPD, correct?”
Even though that was not what she had initially requested, Glass responded later that day, “Yes, and his entire personnel file. All PSIA Investigations, OICI,OID/ICD,OIS, use of force reports, and any independent or internal investigations where he was the officer involved. Not only do I want all his reports, but I also want all the investigations and reviews of his conduct by others, and all internal and external complaints filed against him no matter the outcome. If it’s a situation of you all just giving me everything you have regarding him, that’s fine as well.”
On September 30, Glass emailed Komaske again, asking when the records would be provided. On October 6, Komaske wrote that the records “should be set for release on October 19th.”
Later on October 6, Madison alder Will Oshowicz introduced a resolution to terminate Glass’s employment, alleging breach of contract.
According to Madison ordinance, the independent police monitor should have “unfettered access” to all Madison police records as allowable by law.
Komaske has not responded to an email from Madison365 asking what made her think the records would be available October 19, why they weren’t available on October 19, whether they are available now, or whether she was aware that Oshowicz planned to introduce that resolution when she emailed Glass on October 6.
