Among the hardest jobs in the world is law enforcement. It is dangerous work, and those who do it are sometimes viewed with suspicion by the public. The hours are challenging, and, as of late, police departments are too often understaffed.

Wisconsin hit a record-low number of police officers in 2022. In the capital city of Madison, many members of the current police force are new to the department and to the city itself. That is why Alex Ricketts, community engagement specialist for the Madison Police Department, came up with the Proximity Project – a way to acclimate officers with the city through interactions with its residents.

“That was my goal, that was the reason we started the project – to get the community connected with the officers,” Ricketts said.

Aside from standard encounters such as traffic stops, some citizens don’t interact with police officers in their day-to-day lives. Ricketts wanted a way to bridge the gap between officers and the public.

After listening to a podcast that discussed bringing police officers into the community to meet the people therein, the seeds of the Proximity Project were planted in his mind.

Ricketts spent many years on the police force in Greensboro, N.C., so he knows that it becomes harder for both officers and civilians to hurt the other person in an altercation if a relationship exists between the two parties. He realized that since “the police aren’t going anywhere … you have to learn to develop a relationship with people.”

To begin the Proximity Project, he found several community members willing to host police officers for the day. In January, the first group of officers spent a day shadowing those men and women at their various businesses and nonprofit organizations around town. This allowed the officers to get to know some of the people who make up the heart of the city, and vice versa. Then the process flipped, with the community members riding along with the officers on a different day.

After a local news station covered the Proximity Project, Ricketts said more residents contacted him, expressing interest in participating.

One of the first participants, Michelle McKoy, became director of Bridge Lake Waunona Neighborhood Center last September. Officer Tyrone Cratic Williams spent his day shadowing her at the center, cooking and serving food and winterizing windows in the youth building.

The community center hosts both youth and adult programming, along with a weekly community meal and other activities, all free to local community members. The center was a logical choice for the first cohort, McKoy said, because so many people come there throughout the day. Additionally, McKoy believes in community policing. “I do believe that somebody has to be that bridge to let the community get to know officers … to see them as people.”

In September, Cratic Williams will mark 10 years on the Madison Police Department. He began studying art in college, but interactions with police officers “resonated with what I wanted to accomplish.” Changing course, he became one himself.

He approaches policing through mindfulness. “The first question I ask 90% of the time is ‘How can I best support you?’ Then I stop talking and I wait to hear what that person gives me, and I work with that.”

He stated that he grew up in neighborhood centers, so he was ready to work hard on his shadowing day. He considered it a success, commenting: “We had great conversations; everyone enjoyed my presence, I enjoyed their presence. And there was a lot that was gained from it, just in terms of connecting and checking in with everyday community folks who might not have that opportunity to have contact with a police officer outside of calling 911.”

Another success story that came from his shadowing day is a new program called “Coffee with a Cop,” a monthly event where officers enjoy fellowship with anyone who comes into the center. In May, the center also made one of their Friday meals into a “Lunch with a Cop” event.

“This really opened up a way for us to have a better relationship with the police department,” McKoy stated.

Her relationship with the police force evolved when the tables turned and McKoy shadowed Williams, seeing through his eyes for the day.

“I learned a lot from him,” she admitted. She explained how they began early, at 6:20 a.m., with an inspection of his vehicle and a briefing on safety protocol and what she might expect. He drove her around his usual rounds, showing her areas of particular interest and explaining “what we do and why we do it.”

She admired the professionalism and compassion he and other officers displayed when handling difficult situations even on what he considered a slow day.

“There’s a lot of responsibilities that I don’t think people understand that police officers have, like having to be 110% at every call; there’s just not room for error.” She also noted how when they went to lunch, “either people were really appreciative when they saw him, or they avoided him.”

Now she realizes that “It takes a really special person to do that type of work.”

Officers rarely have the opportunity to see the good side of humanity. Ricketts compared his officer participants to Green Berets in that they’re “going out on the ground” and “not so much fighting as building the relationship first,” which is why he appreciated that the Proximity Project helps officers to see people at their best and in their environment.

An important part of building relationships involves reaching the minority communities in mostly white Madison. Most of the police force is also white, and Ricketts sees the program as a way to intermingle the two groups.

He noted that a patrol car can be a barrier between the officer and the citizens, so bringing the officer into places that serve people from all walks of life helps to build bridges.

Even as he prepares to return to his home in North Carolina, after two years of developing his position, he hopes the program will continue. “This Proximity Project helps the officers see people at their best, in their environment, where everyone in Madison is not a criminal. They are human beings, too: They have children, they have goals. It kind of helps you level your thinking.”

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