Ald. Marsha Rummel to Hold Community Meeting on Officer-Involved Shooting of Paul Heenan

January 23, 2013 11:30 AM

Sixth District Alder Marsha Rummel will hold a community meeting on the officer-involved shooting of Paul Heenan that occurred in her district on November 9, 2012. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 29, from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Bethany Evangelical Free Church, 301 Riverside Drive. Eileen Harrington will be the facilitator.

"My goal is to provide a forum for neighborhood residents to share concerns and ask questions of the District Attorney's Office and Madison Police Department about the investigative process and department training procedures for the use of deadly force," said Ald. Rummel. "I believe there is healing power in a restorative justice approach and intend this meeting to be the first step in a longer process."

The meeting will be a panel format, comprised of three groups: representatives from the District Attorney's Office, the Madison Police Department and community members. After introductions and the sharing of ground rules, each group will give brief opening remarks, then panelists can talk to and ask questions of each other. During this section, the community panel will attempt to represent the larger issues that have arisen, including:

• Use of force

• Investigation policy

• Training/organizational culture regarding mental health, crisis de-escalation and Wisconsin's culture of alcohol

• Policies/procedures for putting an officer back on the street after a shooting

After the allotted time for panels, the facilitator will either open up the floor to questions or select from questions submitted in writing. The meeting will close with a moment of reflection.

Marsha Rummel

Alderperson, Sixth District

district6@cityofmadison.com

772-4555