Madison police have asked for more than $400,000 in their 2027 capital budget to buy body-worn cameras over the next three years, after an officer fatally shot a knife-armed man during an attempted arrest.
Witness and bystander video of Wednesday’s shooting spread on social media, but frontline Madison officers do not wear body cameras, leaving no officer-worn footage of the encounter.
A 2025 budget amendment would have redirected $400,000 to cameras, but it failed after Police Chief John Patterson had not prepared a spending plan; Common Council leaders now say support remains in place for 2027.
Madison has debated cameras for more than a decade: a 2015 push stalled over privacy concerns, and a 90-day pilot launched in 2024 after a 2022 council vote found no clear change in officer behavior.
Milwaukee completed department-wide body-camera rollout by the end of 2016, underscoring how Madison has lagged other Wisconsin cities despite repeated proposals.