What we Do
Located in downtown Madison, the Wisconsin State Capitol Police Department has statewide jurisdiction to serve the approximately 35,000 employees of the State of Wisconsin. The Capitol Police has two distinct bureaus: the Bureau of Patrol Operations and the Bureau of Specialized Services. Together, Capitol Police officers, detectives, and supporting staff provide safety, security, and police response at 61 state facilities between Madison and Milwaukee.
Bureau of Patrol Operations
The Bureau of Patrol Operations includes the uniformed officers whom many of you see daily inside the State Capitol. In addition to our presence in the Capitol, our patrol officers conduct routine patrols and provide the primary response to calls for service in 61 state facilities located between Madison and Milwaukee. In addition to our typical police and security services, Capitol Police also supports and ensures safety at special events, including the Dane County Farmer’s Market, Concerts on the Square, Taste of Madison, and Art Fair on the Square. We also support various state office buildings outside of our primary response areas with services such as providing comprehensive security assessments.
Executive Residence Detail:
The Executive Residence Detail (ERD) is a specialized team of sworn WI State Capitol police officers, known as Dignitary Specialists. This detail is responsible for the security at the WI Executive Residence, including the Governor and their family, staff, visitors to the residence, and the property itself. Specialists on this team are trained and equipped to deter and detect a variety of criminal activities, including intrusion onto the property, while ensuring the day-to-day business of the residence can be conducted. For more information on public events, please visit the WI Executive Residence Visiting and Tours page.
K9 Unit:
Our K-9 team is comprised of two handlers, Sergeant Tammy Johnson and Corporal Jose Mayorquin, and two K-9s, Gator and Otter. A fun fact regarding our newest K-9s, Otter and Gator, is that they are siblings. Both K-9s are trained in Vapor Wake. Our K-9s are trained to take constant odor samples of their environment and the environment that surrounds a person and/or object. This training allows them to work independently of their handler rather than be dependent on the handler's direction. With this training, they can locate and follow a subject through large crowds until the subject is identified by their handler and rewarded. This is what separates them from a traditional explosive detection dog. Our K-9s are uniquely qualified to conduct explosive searches of crowds during large-scale events. Otter and Gator are available for state-wide requests for service.
Sergeant Johnson & Gator Corporal Mayorquin & Otter
Bureau of Specialized Services
The Bureau of Specialized Services includes a 24/7 Communications Center, an Infrastructure Security Unit, and a Criminal Investigations Unit. The Communication Center dispatchers monitor alarms from 302 facilities across the State, from Waukesha to La Cross, all the way to Madeline Island. The Infrastructure Security Unit plans, installs, and maintains access control systems, building automation, and a network of security cameras.
The Bureau of Specialized Services is also responsible for sending out emergency notifications through the RAVE Alert system. These include active threats, evacuations, severe weather notices, and other critical announcements.
Communications Unit:
Our Communications Center receives telephone calls and dispatches officers to calls for service, but they additionally monitor alarms of various types from 302 facilities across the state. From Waukesha to La Crosse, all the way to Madeline Island, our professional dispatchers are orchestrating police, fire, EMS, and maintenance calls 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
Criminal Investigations Unit:
Our Criminal Investigations Unit is a team of three detectives who are dedicated to solving more complex cases. They work in collaboration with our law enforcement partners at the local, state, federal, and tribal levels. Some important services our investigations unit offers are providing intelligence briefings and bulletins, monitoring for threats to elected officials and state employees, and serving as the liaison to the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Wisconsin National Guard, and the state Emergency Police Services.
Infrastructure Security Unit:
Our Infrastructure Security Unit is comprised of electronic security systems managers, electronics technicians, and a locksmith. They plan, install, and maintain access control systems, building automation, and a network of security cameras throughout the state.
Unmanned Aircraft/Drone Unit:
The Wisconsin State
Capitol Police operates an unmanned aircraft "drone" system as a tool
for a variety of applications. These applications include assisting the
Department of Administration and other state, local, and tribal agencies with
aerial photography of post-disaster damage assessments (e.g., flooding and
tornadoes), searches for missing persons, documentation of crime scenes,
traffic incident management, and other events that may benefit from an aerial
overview.
The aircraft can transmit live video feeds and photos to remote users, such as
those in the State Emergency Operations Center, providing a high degree of
incident awareness and assessment to state decision-makers.
The Wisconsin State Capitol Police has highly trained, experienced, and FAA-licensed unmanned aircraft pilots. Our program coordinator and pilots are the
subject matter experts for other public safety agencies throughout the State of
Wisconsin on this topic.
Wisconsin Drone Network
The Wisconsin State
Capitol Police is the co-chair of the Wisconsin Emergency Management Air
Coordination Group. Our role is to coordinate information between any
agency that requests emergency air support from an unmanned aircraft (“drone”),
and a network of public safety agencies who are willing to fulfill those
requests with remote pilots, crew, and aircraft. Safety, and therefore
training, is the priority of the Wisconsin Drone Network. Wisconsin State
Capitol Police personnel worked to develop the first State of Wisconsin-recognized
public safety drone pilot certification standard.
Click Here to download the Call-Out Procedures Poster for Communications Centers / EOC
Click Here to apply to participate in the WI Drone Network (open to all public safety drone pilots)