by MOSES Publications | Jun 23, 2026 | Advocacy, Calls to Action, Featured, JPTF Justice & Police TF, JSRI Justice System Reform Initiatives, Policing
MOSES In Action
Rachel Kincade
MOSES has officially supported police oversight including the OIPM and the PCOB since September 28, 2025. (Link to official statement) Since then, we have testified in favor of full funding and against any attempts to weaken police oversight.
Police oversight in Madison is concentrated in two bodies: 1) the Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM) which investigates cases of potential police misconduct, reviews the Madison Police Standard Operating Procedures, looks at statistical data on police practices, and issues reports. 2) The Police Community Oversight Board (PCOB) which hires and supervises the Independent Police Monitor.
An alder, who is no longer with the council, presented amendments that would take away the Independence of the OIPM and make it a city entity. The Council had reduced their already scant budget, reducing the time of the data analyst (while the police department hired two more data analysist), and without a case manager. MOSES members organized. Members of our Justice Reform Initiative (JSRI) and the Justice and Policing Task Force (JPTF) came together to work on this issue.
We all met and under William Park-Sutherland’s leadership and created a full history of the PCOB and the OIPM all the way to what is happening now. We provided members with calls to action. It was very informative and the presentation went smoothly with Mary Anglim and Eric Howland doing the background – how and why it was formed. They showed the many years it took to get this ordinance in place.
Eric also covered the budget and how it has steadily been cut. Jeanie Vershay and I talked about where things were at now and provided a call to action. In December 2025 the PCOB hired a new Independent Police Monitor (IPM), Aeiramique (Meeka) Glass. She is an experienced police monitor and has brought new life to Madison police oversight. Recent publications from the OIPM, starting with two statistical studies in their annual report and now two high profile investigative reports on police cases have challenged Madison’s views of its police department and also brought criticism of police oversight.
Aeiramique Glass is doing her job in a powerful way. I was on the PCOB for the first four years. In my opinion, she is doing exactly what the original ordinance calls for and is extremely effective. William brought it home by talking about the ordinance changes and the need to support the PCOB and OIPM. He acknowledged that Madison has the best ordinance in the nation, because it holds the super power of subpoena. Kathy Luker shared a way to get congregations involved, another great call to action. Other calls to action include calling your alder and expressing the need for the original ordinance and a call to the mayor asking for full funding for at least 1% of the Madison police departments budget to bring the data analyst to full time, hire a case manager and more money for independent council.
A call to action came out for attending and speaking at a PCOB full board meeting on short notice. Our President made a statement of MOSES’ support; Eric spoke passionately about the power the police have and the need for a fully funded OIPM. I asked them to just hire IM Glass as the permanent IM. Barbie supported the ordinance. Jeanie summed it all up by talking about the death of Richard Lee Johnson in police custody and stated this was a call to action.
I’ll leave you with another MOSES Call to Action: MOSES is preparing to testify at the Madison Common Council meeting on August 4th. At that meeting several amendments to the statutes that govern police oversight will be considered. Several amendments have already been proposed to weaken police oversight. Where we stand: Keep the interim IM as permanent, fully fund the OIPM, and keep the original ordinance.
This is how MOSES takes Action.
by MOSES Publications | Jun 4, 2026 | Life After Prison
Member Congregation hosts JustDane Reentry Simulation
By Pam Gates
The MOSES member congregation that I belong to, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society, received a very nice donation from the family of a founding couple after their passing. To best use the money, the Prairie board decided that committees could request funding for special projects, and the board would evaluate and select those to fund.
Three social action committee members, including the two co-chairs (I’m one of them), had taken a JustDane Reentry Simulation in December 2024. We were all very impressed with this powerful program. My co-chair suggested that Prairie host a simulation with some of the money from the special fund. (JustDane charges $2,800 for a simulation; those who attend don’t have to pay anything.)
Prairie’s board approved our request, so the social action committee worked with JustDane’s Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager, Dani, to plan the event. I sweated a bit: even with advertising targeted to MOSES, to Madison’s other two UU congregations, and to the Prairie congregation itself, people weren’t signing up in droves, no matter how impressive I kept telling them the program was. In a leap of faith, I ordered 110 cookies from Just Bakery and hoped for the best. But I was very nervous.
By the morning of April 26, the day of the simulation, we had 33 people signed up, and most of them did show up. As the program began, a JustDane staffer gave each participant a packet with the name and brief profile of the returning citizen they would be for the duration of the simulation. Tables had been set up in the lobby and at the back of the meeting room. Reentry volunteers sat at these tables and directed participants as they tried to fulfill tasks a returning citizen would have to do: find a job, find housing, secure medication, meet with a parole officer, etc., etc.
JustDane staff and volunteers did an excellent job of demonstrating the challenges of the reentry process. MOSES Organizer James Morgan played the role of sheriff, taking people to “jail” for whatever reason he chose at the moment. JustDane Circles of Support Coordinator John Givens was a strong taskmaster; he blew a harsh whistle to signal the beginning and ending of each reentry “week” (15 minutes each) and sternly chided people who didn’t get back to their seats (“home”) on time. He made it very clear that a returning citizen has little to no autonomy.
After a harrowing hour of attempting to reestablish themselves in the community, participants were allowed to sit down, eat cookies, and listen to Dani and Givens explain the statistics of incarceration and recidivism, with an emphasis on Wisconsin’s embarrassing statistics. To close the program, two formerly incarcerated people offered their perspectives. They made it clear that support is crucial to making it after incarceration: support that an agency like JustDane gives.
I’m very glad we hosted the simulation, and I’m also glad it’s over! It was challenging to drum up enthusiasm, even though I myself am convinced of this program’s value. Probably a Sunday afternoon in spring was not the best timing. Lots of other events were going on, and it was a nice day as well. But now 30 more people have a better gut understanding of the discouraging struggles that people returning to the community from incarceration face. And that is worth a lot.
by MOSES Publications | May 4, 2026 | Policing, Racism and Racial Equity, Reviews
Black Officers Share Their Thoughts on Policing
A Black History Month Event
By Pam Gates and Sherry Reames
A proud, sometimes emotional panel of Black law-enforcement officers from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison Police Department answered questions posed by moderator Shar-Ron Buie at a Black History Month event on Feb. 19. The event, spearheaded by the Madison Community Policing Foundation and called “Journey into Policing,” enabled attendees to learn about the varied life experiences of these successful Black officers, as well as their understanding of community policing.
Lt. Jonathan Triggs, from the Sheriff’s Office, said he was raised in a neighborhood where “community mattered” and that his experiences as a leader have further shaped his character and values. It changed him, he said, when he first had to break the news to a family that their loved one would not be coming home and when he had to discipline a respected fellow officer. As a deputy, he works all over the county, including in some areas that are “less welcoming” to Black people, but he said, “I’ve received nothing but respect. I’m always educating. I want the best for everyone. I try to lead with emotional intelligence, integrity, and the desire to help others.”
Sgt. Shuntia Lucas, who supervises 15 deputies during her daily shift at the Dane County Jail, said she “got the best of both worlds” by growing up in a racially mixed area with good schools and two parents who believed in her. She described her key values as composure, empathy, and emotional intelligence. “You need to approach each person and each situation individually,” she said. She also said, “I help people get back on track”– referring both to the deputies she supervises and to jail residents, whom she encourages to take advantage of the resources available there for education, treatment, and re-entry support.
The senior member of the panel, retired MPD Officer Pia Kinney James, recalled some of her experiences as the first Black woman to join Madison’s police force in 1975. “We were coming off Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights movement, women’s rights. There was a lot of hostility toward all police, and nobody wanted to see a Black female officer. But I said, ‘We’re here to stay.'” Kinney James recalled having seen things change for the better as police got out of their cars and walked their beats, becoming closer to the people in their districts, and earned their trust by being fair. Her philosophy of policing, she said, was not to arrest people unnecessarily, but to teach them where the line was.
by MOSES Publications | May 4, 2026 | Dane County Jail, Life After Prison, Racism and Racial Equity, Reviews
Criminal Justice Workshop at Bethel Lutheran April 23
Kalvin Barrett, Dennis Franklin, Dana Pellebon, Paul Saeman Share Perspectives
By Pam Gates
Among the events at a one-day conference titled “Nonviolence in Action: An Interfaith Conversation on Building the Beloved Community” was an interesting workshop on Criminal Justice Reform. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, EXPO Co-Director Dennis Franklin, Rape Crisis Center Executive Director and former Dane County Board supervisor Dana Pellebon, and MOSES President-elect Paul Saeman all offered insights to a packed room.
Sheriff Barrett focused his initial comments on the jail’s policy of administering addiction medications to jail residents. He emphasized how important this is, and that the jail has nurses and counselors on staff for this purpose, plus a deputy in charge of that aspect of operations. They administer methadone, naltrexone, or buprenorphine to people already taking those, and they also start people identified as needing addiction treatment. If the jail doesn’t do this, Barrett said, the risk of overdose after jail is very high: people go from cold-turkey abstinence in jail to drug availability once they’re out, which is difficult for them to handle without medication support.
Dennis Franklin spoke about EXPO’s work establishing safe and dignified housing for women returning from incarceration – offering them a safe place to live and helping them address problems during re-entry. Besides overseeing the original SAFE House, where individual women get support and services to help them during this transitional period, EXPO now has a Transition House with four 2-bedroom units, where women can be reunified with their kids. EXPO is looking for more housing for this population.
Dana Pellebon emphasized the disconnect between the wealth of resources in Madison and the continuing scandal of our racial disparities. “We have programs, services, and support,” she said. “What hasn’t changed? Disparities in housing, education, income; disparities in charging, sentencing, and policing.” Pellebon said she has focused on what works, and she’s enthusiastic about the potential of community courts.
During her time on the county board, Pellebon observed a community court in Avondale, Ill. One very important feature was its location – in the community, not in a courthouse, which can be intimidating. The victim (who must agree to this) and the harm-doer have a conversation and together determine a remedy, working with each other, the case manager, and the judge. The Avondale community court worked with kids ages 18-25; it lowered the recidivism rate to 18%! Pellebon noted that the young offenders were also provided with wraparound services – another key to the success of the operation. “They did vision boards, were self-directed,” she said, stating that self-direction was also critical.
Something else that’s critical: “The electorate. Voters have to believe in moving the numbers,” Pellebon said. “We need the community to move together, to offer continual input [to their elected officials]. The electorate has to say that they want [change].”
Paul Saeman summarized the history of MOSES. A collection of individuals and faith communities working for criminal-legal system reform, it was founded in 2012. Its first issue was Ban the Box: removing the “box” on criminal history from initial job applications. Its next issue was the county jail, which was deemed inhumane, unsafe, obsolete, and in need of replacement. Data collection also needed to improve. In 2023, final decisions on the jail were made: it would be replaced, and the harm done by incarceration – to families, to children, to those incarcerated – would be addressed. Saeman mentioned the Huber program’s electronic monitoring, which permits some people to stay in the community on the bracelet rather than in the jail; this provides some degree of harm reduction. He also cited MOSES’ involvement in the establishment of the CARES program, which offers non-police responses to mental-health crises. MOSES members do much of their work by introducing themselves to county board members and familiarizing them with issues MOSES is concerned about, he explained.
Panelists responded to audience questions to complete the hour.
Sheriff Barrett emphasized the need to work within budgetary constraints. “There are lots of great ideas,” he said. “But we have to ask: ‘What can we do with the money we’ve got?’”
Pellebon commented that what works in the city may not work in rural areas. Rural parts of the county don’t have the same resources, e.g. not even paid ambulance services. What can we push on? Only so much can be done. People need to pay attention to county board decisions; community engagement is vital. Dane Legistar has all the county meetings listed. You can register and speak, she told the audience.
Asked about cooperation with ICE, Sheriff Barrett said they recognize ICE as a legitimate government agency but are not working with it except when public safety is at risk. He added that it is important to elect more judges and other officials of color who care about these issues, and give them support once they’re in office.
Pellebon mentioned that we don’t have enough treatment and post-treatment available for harm-doers. Porchlight is one of the few shelters that will take sex offenders whose victims were children.
Re-entry must be coordinated to connect with resources, Barrett said; 72% of people jailed are out in three days. Rehabilitation needs to start when people first connect with the jail.
“By the time they get to Kalvin [Barrett], they’re in a criminal-legal system that’s not working,” Pellebon said. “We have to keep people out of the jail. We need to reach out to the police chiefs in Madison, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie: What are they doing to address disparities?” “Being a pest is ok!” she added.
by MOSES Publications | May 4, 2026 | Children & Youth, Newsletter, RJAC Racial Justice for All Children, Schools, Youth & Schools
Finding and Becoming Allies
RJAC Working Group Connects with Schools
By John Lemke
The mission of the MOSES Racial Justice for All Children (RJAC) Task Force is “to eradicate the childhood-to-school-to-prison pipeline”. The members of the Restorative Justice and School Wellness group, a working group within RJAC, are seeking to understand and address that middle stepping stone – what happens in the schools. The group has found allies in this search: teachers, administrators, social workers, school nurses, and involved parents.
There is an ongoing effort to bring the powerful tools of restorative justice (RJ) practices to children in the Madison schools. By participating in the Superintendent’s Wellness Advisory, members of the Restorative Justice and School Wellness working group have made useful and supportive connections with passionate RJ practitioners. The working group will continue to meet with the Superintendent’s advisory group, asking, “How can we help?”
At the center of it all are the kids themselves. On Friday, April 17, Barbie Jackson and John Lemke got to immerse themselves in a crowd of excited and caring schoolkids at the Madison Metropolitan School District’s Youth Restorative Justice Summit. Barbie and John hosted a table inviting middle school and high school students participating in the summit to respond to two questions via Post-it notes: What does it mean to BELONG? and What does WELLNESS mean for you? Here is what the students wrote:
- To belong means to feel comfortable and welcomed.
- To me, belonging looks like feeling unconditionally safe, comfortable, and welcome within a space.
- It means to be comfortable in the space you are in.
- To understand every[thing] is not the same from 20 years ago.
- Belonging means feeling valued by those around you.
- Belonging means to connect with the people around you and honor their beliefs.
- Belonging means feeling like a part of something.
- Wellness means being healthy mentally and physically.
- Belonging means feeling safe!
- To me, wellness means to feel good and comfortable with yourself and your surroundings.
- Belonging means to feel safe, respected, and loved.
- Belonging is feeling like you can be your true self in the room you’re in.
- To belong is to feel like many places can mean home.
- To belong is to be able to express yourself.
- To belong means to feel valued.
- Feeling connected with your community.
- Wellness is knowing your purpose.
- Wellness means being happy and healthy.
- Feeling like you belong.
- To belong means to feel comfortable in an environment.
