Use of Force

The McFarland Police Department provides its officers with the very best and most current training in the area of use of force. Our training focuses heavily upon threat assessment, tactical disengagement, and force alternatives. These training efforts have proven to be effective and valuable, as demonstrated in recent encounters that could easily have lead to the use of deadly force, but did not.

Statistics on incidents involving use of force can be found on the Use of Force Statistics page.

Police Use of Force

This video was created by the University of Wisconsin, Madison Law School. It is an excellent resource in understanding police use of deadly force, the legalities surrounding it, and how deadly force incidents are investigated.

Use of Force Workgroup

On Friday, February 19, 2016, the Use of Force Workgroup consisting of the United Way and select leaders of the law enforcement and African American communities, publicly released the findings of its 8-month study of law enforcement practices in Dane County.

The McFarland Police Department, as a principal member of the Dane County Chiefs of Police Association, applauds the efforts and difficult work undertaken by the task force in the creation of the report. One unfortunate deficiency in the report is the fact that at no time were Dane County law enforcement agencies asked if they were possibly practicing many of the recommendations already.

The McFarland Police Department, like several others in Dane County, integrated many if not all of the recommended practices long ago.

Special Community/Police Task Force Recommendations

In 2014 and 2015, there were several high profile police officer-involved fatal shootings in the United States. Citizens within some of these communities, including Madison, protested these incidents. Additionally, across the country people have questioned the District Attorneys' decisions not to file charges against the officers in these cases.

Without coming together engaging in dialogue the tensions, misunderstandings and mistrust will only grow. Therefore debating, discussing, learning, collaborating and understanding the situation is the best way forward for enhancing the lives of everyone in Dane County.

Use of Force Related Policies