Agency Responsibilities
Located in downtown Madison, the Wisconsin State Capitol Police has statewide jurisdiction to serve the approximately 35,000 employees of the State of Wisconsin. The Capitol Police has two distinct bureaus: the Patrol Operations Bureau and the Specialized Services Bureau. Together, Capitol Police officers, detectives, and supporting staff provide safety, security, and police response at 61 state facilities between Madison and Milwaukee.
Patrol Operations Bureau
The Bureau of Patrol Operations includes the uniformed officers 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 our primary response areas by providing comprehensive security assessments.
Specialized Services Bureau
The Bureau of Specialized Services includes our Communications Unit, Infrastructure Security Unit, Criminal Investigations Unit, and the Executive Residence Detail.
Communications Unit:
Our Communications Center receives telephone calls, dispatches officers to calls for service, and additionally monitors alarms 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 a week.
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.
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.
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.
Specialized Teams
Our Specialized Teams are composed of team members across our division, including our civil staff and sworn officers.
K9 Team:
Our K-9 team is comprised of two handlers, Sergeant Tammy Johnson and Corporal Jose Mayorquin, and two K-9s, Gator and Otter. Both K-9s are trained in Explosives Detection. A fun fact about K9 Otter and K9 Gator: they are siblings. Our K9 teams deploy to conduct protective sweeps for the hundreds of events held at the State Capitol each year. They are also available upon request to assist state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Sergeant Johnson & Gator Corporal Mayorquin & Otter
Unmanned Aircraft/Drone Team:
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 team 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)