Monona, Maple Bluff should show more deference to neighbors

If the small suburb of Monona wants to be aggressive in chasing fleeing motorists, it can do so. It has local control over its 3 square miles along Lake Monona. The problem is that Monona cops pursue vehicles at high speeds into Madison, a city of 80 square miles surrounding Monona. And Madison officials want to be more cautious so innocent people aren't harmed. Monona should show more deference to its larger neighbor when its police leave the suburb's boundaries, even if Madison could do a better job of enforcing traffic law. The two communities are feuding over police chases, which is frustrating. This includes dueling resolutions and public statements. A more cooperative approach is needed so public safety isn't diminished. Wisconsin State Journal reporter Emily Hamer recently detailed the dispute. Madison demoted an officer for being too aggressive in pursuit of a motorist, only for Monona to offer him a job. Then, in September 2025, Monona police chased the driver of a stolen tow truck into Madison and eventually McFarland. The offending driver slammed the truck into a Madison police car, severely injuring a Madison cop. Monona's policy for police allows discretion to chase any fleeing suspect. Maple Bluff, an even smaller suburb surrounded by Madison, has a similar policy. In sharp contrast, Madison officers may only chase people suspected of violent felonies. Hamer reported that 106 people were injured in crashes resulting from police chases initiated by Dane County law enforcement agencies since 2018. More than half of those injuries, 59, resulted from pursuits by Maple Bluff and Monona. Three people died in 2024 after crashing into a tree while Monona police pursued them for 'suspicious activity.' A man fleeing Maple Bluff police similarly died after hitting a tree. Madison police only had six pursuit-related injuries and no deaths since 2018. The flip side, of course, is that Monona and Maple Bluff may have fewer speeders and reckless drivers if they're more determined to stop them and earn a reputation for strict enforcement. The Madison Beltline, which Madison is more responsible for patrolling, definitely feels like a speedway sometimes. A lot of motorists need to slow down and be more patient.Yet even when they won't — going so far as to flee officers — drones and cameras can help track troublemakers without launching a dangerous pursuit for a modest traffic violation. As Hamer's reporting showed, high-speed chases often put innocent people at risk. Hamer interviewed two uninvolved motorists injured during separate police pursuits as well as a mother whose husband and 5-year-old son were injured in a third chase. They all told her they wanted fewer police chases in Dane County. To its credit, Monona is seeking better ways to stop fleeing motorists through technology. It mounted devices on two of its police cars that can deploy and wrap a heavy net around a feeling vehicle's rear tire and axle to slow it. But the device shouldn't be used at speeds above 75 mph, unless deadly force is justified, according to Monona's pursuit policy. Nobody wants drivers flouting the law. Yet launching a hot pursuit can backfire on innocent people. The Washington, D.C.,-based Police Executive Research Forum, which studies best practices, recommends that police agencies 'adopt restrictive vehicle pursuit philosophies that permit pursuits only for a limited and serious set of circumstances' and that pursuits only be allowed 'for violent crimes and where failure to immediately apprehend the suspect presents an imminent threat to the public based on the suspect's criminal actions.' Madison's policy seems to align with that. Monona's and Maple Bluff's policies are looser. Local police chiefs say they're continuing to discuss a possible compromise. Good. Yet the onus should be on Monona and Maple Bluff to be better neighbors when their police speed across the city line. The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper. STAFF MEMBERS KELLY LECKER, Executive editor SCOTT MILFRED, Editorial page editor PHIL HANDS, Editorial cartoonist COMMUNITY MEMBERS LAUREN CNARE MAURICE SHEPPARD The latest community member to join the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board introduces himself Lauren Cnare, a community member on the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board, introduces herself Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!