Building consensus for police oversight: A case study of the reform process in the Madison Police Department

Víctor Beltrán Román

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl.2155

Autores

Víctor Beltrán Román Universidad Diego Portales https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3554-1838

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.2155

Palavras-chave:

police reform, Civilian oversight mechanisms, consensus building, institutional design, collaborative institutionalization

Resumo

This article examines how civilian oversight reform emerges and gains legitimacy through a case study of Madison, Wisconsin, where the 2015 police killing of Tony Robinson catalyzed a wide-ranging reform process. Focusing on the Madison Police Department Policy & Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee, the article introduces the concept of collaborative institutionalization to explain how inclusive and procedurally fair institutional design can foster consensus and enable sustained reform within stable democratic settings. Drawing on interviews, documentary analysis, and meeting observations, the study traces the creation of a dual civilian oversight model: an Independent Monitor’s Office and a Civilian Oversight Board. Madison’s experience shows how proactive political leadership, community engagement, and constructive police participation can support negotiated institutional change, even amid resistance. The article argues that collaborative institutionalization offers a viable alternative to top-down reforms, which often provoke institutional resistance, and bottom-up efforts, which may lack institutional traction.

Downloads

Não há dados estatísticos.

Metrics

Global Statistics

21 Views	11 Downloads
32 Total

Biografia do Autor

Víctor Beltrán Román, Universidad Diego Portales

Adjunct Researcher and Professor in the Program on Procedural Reform and Litigation at Universidad Diego Portales, Law School (Chile); and Visiting Scholar at the Global Legal Studies Center, University of Wisconsin Law School. He is currently a Ph.D. (c) in Law at Diego Portales Law School, and holds a Masters of Laws from Wisconsin Law School and a Licenciatura en Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales from Universidad Diego Portales. Email:: victor.beltran@mail.udp.cl

Referências

Ansell, C., and Gash, A., 2008. Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory [online], 18(4), 543–571. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032

Beltrán, V., 2020. Police Reform: An Approach to Citizen Oversight of Policing in the United States. Revista de Derecho Público [online], 93, 1-31. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3758312

Blaska, D., 2019. Police union opposes ‘police monitor’ [Blog post]. Blaska Policy Werkes [online], 21 October. Available at: https://davidblaska.com/2019/10/21/police-union-opposes-police-monitor/

Bobb, M., 2003. Civilian Oversight of the Police in the United States. Saint Louis University Public Law Review [online], 22(1). Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/plr/vol22/iss1/10

Chief Koval, 2015. Chief Koval’s Reflections - Protests, Officer Kenny, Hope... [Blog post]. Chief Koval’s Blog [online], 16 March. Available at: https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/chief/blog/?Id=6419

Dammert, L., 2020. Reforma policial. Agenda (aún) pendiente en América Latina. El Diálogo. Julio. Documento de Trabajo.

De Angelis, J., and Kupchik, A., 2007. Citizen oversight, procedural justice, and officer perceptions of the complaint investigation process. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management [online], 30(4), 651–671. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13639510710833929

De Angelis, J., Rosenthal, R., and Buchner, B., 2016a. Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement: A Review of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Models [online]. Office of Justice Programs. Available at: https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/civilian-oversight-law-enforcement-review-strengths-and-weaknesses-various

De Angelis, J., Rosenthal, R., and Buchner, B., 2016b. Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement: Assessing the Evidence [online]. Office of Justice Programs. Available at: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/civilian-oversight-law-enforcement-assessing-evidence

den Heyer, G., and Beckley, A., 2013. Police independent oversight in Australia and New Zealand, Police Practice and Research: An International Journal [online], 14(2), 130-143. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2013.767093

Derby, S., 2017. Scene of Madison police shooting Ashley DiPiazza, State Journal photo. Wisconsin State Journal [online], 12 July. Available at: https://madison.com/scene-of-madison-police-shooting-ashley-dipiazza-state-journal-photo/image_ff15f385-498a-5fcf-98bd-5655c05393a8.html

Deuchar, R., Fallik, S.W., and Crichlow, V.J., 2018. Despondent officer narratives and the ‘post-Ferguson’ effect: exploring law enforcement perspectives and strategies in a southern American state. Policing and Society [online], 29(9), 1-16. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2018.1480020

Dobrin, A., et al., 2021. Placing the Blame in the Post-Ferguson Era: An Exploration of Police Attributions for Crime, Their Declining Legitimacy, and the Breakdown of Justice. American Journal of Qualitative Research [online], 5(2), 36-56. Available at: https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11032

Ferdik, F., Rojek, J. and Alpert, G., 2013. Citizen oversight in the United States and Canada: an overview. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal [online], 14(2), 104-116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2013.767089

Fields, R., 2019. The Ferguson Effect on Police Officer’s Culture and Perceptions in Local Police Departments [online]. Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration. Minneapolis: Walden University. Available at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6422

Findley, K., 2018. Additional recommendations [Email to Rachel Rodriguez] (online). 11 December. Available at: https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=6852080&GUID=FD436B3E-4363-4D9F-9150-D413E088FE84

Findley, K., et al., 2019. Madison Police Department Policy and Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee Final Report [online]. 18 October. University of Wisconsin Legal Studies Research Paper No. 1496. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3472126

Finn, P., 2001. Citizen Review of Police: Approaches and Implementation (NCJ 184430) [online]. Washington, DC: US National Criminal Justice Reference Service, US Department of Justice. Available at: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/184430.pdf

Frühling, H., 2007. Dos décadas de reforma policial en América Latina, factores para su éxito o fracaso. In: A. Erik and G. Beliz, eds., ¿Cuál es la salida? La Agenda inconclusa de la seguridad ciudadana. Washington, DC: Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.

Fuentes, C., 2024. Determinantes del éxito de las reformas policiales. Revisión de la literatura. Congreso Sociedad Chilena de Criminología, 29 de agosto, 2024.

García, A., 2019. Documents: Family of Madison woman killed in police response settles for $4.25 million. Fox 47 [online], 2 June. Available at: https://fox47.com/news/local/documents-family-of-madison-woman-killed-in-police-response-settles-for-425-million

Gennaco, M., Connolly, S., and Ruhlin, J., 2017. Madison Police Department policy and procedure review. Report to the City of Madison and the Madison Police Department Policy and Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee [online]. December. OIR Group. Available at: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/d85a96_75f806fb3bb74266819b6a9bb6a4b281.pdf

González, Y., 2019. The Social Origins of Institutional Weakness and Change: Preferences, Power, and Police Reform in Latin America. World Politics [online], 71(1), 44-87. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S004388711800014X

González, Y., 2020. Authoritarian Police in Democracy: Contested Security in Latin America [online]. Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108907330

Guardian News, 2015. Tony Robinson shooting video released by Madison Police [YouTube clip]. Guardian News [online], 13 May. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L934DUn33UI

Hope, K.R., 2020. Civilian Oversight for Democratic Policing and its Challenges: Overcoming Obstacles for Improved Police Accountability. Journal of Applied Security Research [online], 16(4), 423–455. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19361610.2020.1777807

Isthmus, 2012. Paul Heenan. Isthmus [online]. Available at: https://isthmus.com/topics/paul-heenan/

Keyes, V.D., and Keyes, L., 2023. A scoping review of police civilian oversight literature 1992–2022. Policing: An International Journal [online], 46(4), 601-622. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2023-0027

Kingdon, J.W., 1995. Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. 2nd ed. New York: Harper Collins.

Laughland, O., and Sullivan, Z., 2015. Tony Terrel Robinson was shot dead by Madison Police. This is how it happened. The Guardian [online], 13 March. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/13/tony-terrell-robinson-madison-wisconsin-police-shooting-how-it-happened

Lueders, B., 2013. Neighbor disputes Madison Police account in Paul Heenan shooting. Isthmus [online], 6 January. Available at: https://isthmus.com/news/news/neighbor-disputes-madison-police-account-in-paul-heenan-shooting/

Madison Police Department, 2018a. Madison Police Department Response to OIR Report [online]. 31 January. Available at: https://www.cityofmadison.com/mpdstudy/documents/MPD-Response-to-OIR-Report.pdf

Madison Police Department, 2018b. Madison Police Department Response to OIR Report Update [online]. 19 November. Available at: https://www.cityofmadison.com/mpdstudy/documents/MPD-Response-to-OIR-Report-Update.pdf

Marat, E., 2021. The Politics of Police Reform: Society Against the State in Post-Soviet Countries. Oxford University Press.

Milanesi, A., 2021. La política de la reforma policial en Uruguay. Revista Chilena de Derecho y Ciencia Política [online], 12(2), 213-254. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7770/rchdcp-V12N2-art2683

Miller, J., 2002. Civilian Oversight of Policing. Lessons from Literature. Vera Institute of Justice.

Mugari, I., 2021. Civilian Police Oversight: A Contemporary Review of Police Oversight Mechanisms in Europe, Australia and Africa. Journal of Applied Security Research [online], 18(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19361610.2021.1918524

President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Puddister, K., and McNabb, D., 2024. Police oversight in practice: the Special Investigations Unit and civilian police oversight in Ontario, Canada. Policing and Society [online], 34(8), 1–15. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2024.2339364

Schwartz-Shea, P., and Yanow, D., 2012. Interpretive research design: Concepts and processes [online]. London: Routledge. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203854907

Sen, S., 2010. Enforcing Police Accountability Through Civilian Oversight [online]. New Delhi: Sage. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4135/9788132106005

State Journal Staff, 2025. Photos: Remembering the Tony Robinson shooting protests in Madison. Wisconsin State Journal [online], 6 March. Available at: https://madison.com/news/local/photos-remembering-the-tony-robinson-shooting-protests-year-later/collection_9577ee7c-fe51-5af1-8a2c-d6605ede3236.html#47

Stephens, D., Scrivner, E., and Cambareri, J., 2018. Civilian Oversight of the Police in Major Cities [online]. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Available at: https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/ResourceCenter/content.ashx/cops-w0861-pub.pdf

Stone, C., and Bobb, M., 2002. Civilian Oversight of the Police in Democratic Societies. Vera Institute for Justice.

Taekema, S., 2021. Methodologies of rule of law research: Why Legal Philosophy Needs Empirical and Doctrinal Scholarship. Law and Philosophy [online], 20, 33-36. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10982-020-09388-1

Terrill, R.J., 1996. Citizen Oversight of Police: Private Developments in the West [online]. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Available at: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/archives/policing/citi31.htm

Tyler, T.R., 2006. Why People Obey the Law [online]. 2nd ed. Princeton University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828609

Varaine, S., and Roché, S., 2023. The fourth power. A mapping of police oversight agencies in Europe and Quebec. Policing and Society [online], 33(9–10), 1007–1030. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2023.2223741

Walker, S., 2001. Police Accountability: The Role of Citizen Oversight. Wadsworth.

Walker, S., 2006. The History of Citizen Oversight. In: J. Perino, ed., Citizen Oversight of Law Enforcement. Chicago: ABA.

Webley, L., 2010. Qualitative Approaches to Empirical Legal Research. In: P. Cane and H. Kritzer, eds., Oxford Handbook of Empirical Legal Research. Oxford University Press.

Wilson, S., 2013. Civilian Review Boards. In: J. Albanese, ed., The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Oxford: Blackwell.