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?
© 2026 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.). Visit www.wisconsinstatejournal.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
