The City of Madison plans to purchase the property of the former Mt. Olive Lutheran Church on Mineral Point Rd. to build a Midtown police district. The Mayor has earmarked $1.2 million in the 2014 capital budget for the purchase of the property.
It's been about a month since the news broke about the proposed use of the property, so this isn't new information. However, in light of the lock down of a neighborhood school today due to a suspected armed man in the area, I think it's relevant to applaud the Mayor and the City for understanding the need for a better, safer Madison.
Car break-ins in the Sunset Village neighborhood over the past year and more recently the armed robberies closer to campus in the Vilas neighborhood clearly indicate a need for more police presence on the near West Side. The West police district is located near Elver Park, which currently covers far too much geographic area to provide the kind of service and coverage Madisonians deserve. Please don't misinterpret that to mean the Madison Police aren't currently doing a great job, they are. But think about how much better and safer we would all be with a station a little closer to home.
It will be several years before the new Midtown police district will be built. But we are on the right tract. Kudos to the Mayor and the City of Madison for recognizing, and acting on, the need!
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