UW Police Department

The UW–Madison Police Department (UWPD) is a full-service law enforcement agency serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

As guardians on the UW-Madison campus, UWPD holds itself to high expectations — operating in a fair, unbiased manner that respects the rights and dignity of all individuals. UWPD always strives to be better and do better.

We invite you to consider a gift to support the greatest needs of the UW-Madison Police Department via the UWPD Fund, which provides funding for training and employee events/initiatives.

Additionally, gifts are especially helpful for two of the department’s major endeavors:

• K-9 Fund
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  The UWPD K9 Unit is comprised of three K9 teams — each has a specialty and can be seen at various times and events around the campus area. Two of the K9s specialize in explosive detection and human tracking – our third K9 specializes in drug detection and human tracking.

  Most commonly, the explosive detection K9s can be seen providing security at large events on campus, like at Camp Randall Stadium or the Kohl Center. Many times, their noses are put to work hours prior to large events. They also respond to suspicious item calls, like bomb threats, and can provide a variety of other services.

  Our narcotics detection K9 team is most frequently utilized on traffic stops.

  All of the K9s are certified annually by the North American Police Work Dog Association and live with their handlers. The K9s love to interact with the community and play an important role in making the campus and surrounding community safe. Presentations involving the K9 unit can be set up by contacting one of the K9 handlers.

• Mounted Patrol Fund
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  The UWPD Mounted Unit is comprised of two teams – Rettke and Vetter. Both joined UWPD when the Mounted Unit was re-established in 2022.

  The UWPD Mounted Unit provides countless benefits to the UW-Madison community and beyond. Community relations, crowd control, and visibility, are just a few of the many ways horses contribute to a safe and secure community. Anyone who has attended a Badger Football home game at Camp Randall Stadium has likely noticed mounted patrols. The Mounted Unit is responsible for carrying out a diverse array of duties before, during, and after the game – from escorts for ambulances, buses and VIP vehicles, to assistance with arrests and ejections from the stadium, crowd control, providing general information and directions to fans, and simply being a presence around the stadium.

  Horses are useful in crowd situations beyond football game days – in large crowds, the mounted officer can see and be seen unlike any other officer. Horses also offer a unique ability to move through a crowd when a squad car cannot and are effective in moving a person or a group. Horses have the ability to patrol areas of campus which are generally inaccessible by a squad car, like the Arboretum and Picnic Point.

  The training of a police horse is a lengthy, ongoing, and continuous process. Horses are thought to be the most perceptive mammal that exists, and are second only to elephants for their memory. A horse’s strongest instinct is to flee from contentious situations. Police horses are trained to work through this instinct by building a trusting relationship with their rider. Horses need to work well with other horses and tolerate a wide range of obstacles – gun shots, marching bands, lights and sirens, fireworks, baby strollers, small children, and more.