Building consensus for police oversight: A case study of the reform process in the Madison Police Department

This article examines how civilian oversight reform emerges and gains legitimacy through a case study of Madison, Wisconsin, where the 2015 police killing of Tony Robinson catalyzed a wide-ranging reform process. Focusing on the Madison Police Department Policy & Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee, the article introduces the concept of collaborative institutionalization to explain how inclusive and procedurally fair institutional design can foster consensus and enable sustained reform within stable democratic settings. Drawing on interviews, documentary analysis, and meeting observations, the study traces the creation of a dual civilian oversight model: an Independent Monitor’s Office and a Civilian Oversight Board. Madison’s experience shows how proactive political leadership, community engagement, and constructive police participation can support negotiated institutional change, even amid resistance. The article argues that collaborative institutionalization offers a viable alternative to top-down reforms, which often provoke institutional resistance, and bottom-up efforts, which may lack institutional traction.