I'm so grateful to those of you who took time from your busy lives to attend last evening's council meeting. Several of you took that extra step and marched up to the podium to support Madison PD - and you did it with respect, eloquence, and class. You stood up for something you believe in, and for that you should feel immensely proud. You're my inspiration! I certainly didn't enjoy standing up there, getting heckled and laughed at by the opposition. But I'd do it again. Because I know standing up for this exceptional force and chief is the right thing to do. Besides, as unpleasant as it may have been, police officers have to deal with this level of disrespect - and worse - on a regular basis. As much as I wanted to read all of your comments out loud, I was limited to three minutes of speech, so could only read a handful. Still, your voices were heard. Per WKOW, the petition is being referred to the mayor's office for further consideration: http://www.wkow.com/story/32484709/2016/07/19/madison-city-council-hears-heated-public-comments-on-police-department The most important factor, however, is that we showed Madison PD that the silent majority does indeed support them. (I've also attached the taped meeting from last night. Our segment begins at about 23 minutes into the meeting. ) You may wonder what motivated me (with support from a small group of citizen activists) to start this petition. Here's part of my motivation . . . My husband, Steve started, and has run the Midvale Heights Neighborhood Watch group for two years now. Since that time we've had a chance to interact with Chief Koval and many of the officers from the west district. Their dedication and compassion is unparalleled. That they do this incredibly difficult and dangerous job with such passion and grace is nothing short of heroic. Our watch group is considered the most successful in the city - we're at almost 600 members. Some of our speakers and guests, aside from Chief Koval, have included the FBI, Dane County 911 Center, Madison Mounted Patrol, a K-9 officer with her partner, Madison FD, self-defense professionals, Crimestoppers, Sheriff Mahoney, and so many more. It's actually become more of a watch group - we've become more connected as neighbors, too. (And we owe this in large part, to Chief Koval.) I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned as a result of attending these meetings - and I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about why the police do what they do to go to publicly-held police events. Because sound-bytes and headlines don't tell the whole story. The Madison PD are not the enemy . . .they are our best friends. All the best. : )