Wis. PD requires plainclothes cops to wear badges, unmarked cruisers to display placards

The policy changes took effect in response to local concerns about federal immigration enforcement, the Madison Police Department stated

February 13, 2026 10:18 AM

By Chris Rickert
The Wisconsin State Journal

MADISON, Wis. — Madison police are now requiring plainclothes officers to wear jackets identifying them as police and unmarked police vehicles to display placards identifying them as police vehicles.

The moves began taking effect last week, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said, and come in response to local concerns about the kinds of robust federal immigration enforcement seen in the Twin Cities and elsewhere that involve masked immigration officials operating out of unmarked vehicles.

| SPECIAL REPORT: The DFR decisions every chief faces before the first drone ever flies

Madison police posted a video on Facebook Tuesday of Chief John Patterson explaining the new approach.

“We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately given the events occurring across our nation about how to identify Madison police staff versus other law enforcement agencies,” Patterson said.

Patterson then goes on to say that plainclothes officers such as detectives or detective supervisors will, “effective immediately,” be required to wear jackets with either a Madison police patch or the words “Madison police” on them.

The department’s unmarked police vehicles also now are coming with placards placed in their front windows that say “official Madison police vehicle” in English and Spanish and have images of the Madison police patch.

Madison police can still conduct undercover operations, according to Fryer, but any deviations from the new policy “must be reviewed and approved by a commander.”

Patterson said residents who see law enforcement personnel from outside jurisdictions, including federal law enforcement, can call 911 and Madison police will try to help identify them.

On Wednesday, Monona police issued a press release saying it was the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and not federal Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at a residence in Monona. The warrant was related to a narcotics investigation, the police department said.

What challenges might officers face as a result of this identification requirement?

Trending

Officer Down

S.C. deputy killed in multi-vehicle crash

Deputy Michael Hendricks, 33, “showed up every day ready to serve,” Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said; Hendricks joined the agency in April 2023 and most recently served on the Metro Unit

September 10, 2026 05:40 PM

Joanna Putman

September 11, 2001

‘We took care of each other’: Officers across the country reflect on 9/11, 25 years later

Twenty-five years later, officers across the country are sharing the stories of where they served, who they lost and what they carried home from Sept. 11

September 11, 2026 10:47 AM

Sarah Roebuck

Police Heroes

NYPD 9/11 memorial wall adds hundreds of new names as illness, disease take toll

A memorial unveiling at NYPD headquarters revealed the names of 469 officers who contracted illnesses while working the Ground Zero pile in the months after the attack, and later died

September 11, 2026 10:16 AM