UW Police Department
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department is dedicated to the safety and well-being of the University community and all who make the campus and its immediate surroundings part of their lives.
Under the leadership of Chief of Police and Associate Vice Chancellor Susan Riseling, the department operates under the guiding principle of Respect, Integrity, Compassion and Honor (R.I.C.H.). Those characteristics guide department members’ actions as they work in partnership with the University, community agencies and professional peers.
The UW-Madison Police Department uses feedback, self-assessment and innovative practices to provide leadership in solving community problems.
The force protects public safety in many ways and serves its mission with, among other resources, patrol officers, a Detective Bureau, K-9 Unit, Bicycle Unit, Mounted Unit and Community Policing Officers. It is responsible for security for the Health Sciences complex, the Chazen Museum of Art and special events including Badger athletics and the Crazy Legs Run.
Gifts are especially helpful for the UW-Madison Police Department in two major endeavors:
- R.I.C.H. Fund
Gifts to the R.I.C.H Fund help the department provide officers training opportunities to increase their effectiveness. This fund allows the UW-Madison Police Department to develop and refine best practices that will improve campus and community safety and build trust among officers and the public it serves.
- K-9 Fund
Gifts to this fund support the UW-Madison Police Department’s K-9 Unit. The Unit currently features three K-9s who work with human partners: two “explosive” K-9s are skilled in responding to bomb threats and suspicious packages and tracking suspects, and the third K-9 specializes in detecting narcotics, recovering evidence and agility.
The explosive K-9s can most frequently be seen prior to and during Badger sporting events. The K-9s also provide dignitary protection and clearing for other special events on campus and around the state. The explosive K-9s are available upon request statewide by law enforcement agencies for explosive detection and tracking.
All the department K-9s make appearances and do demonstrations at special events and presentations such as Safety Town, Safety Saturday and Ready Camp. The K-9s live with their handlers and are members of the handlers’ families.
