Professional Staff

UWPD Communications facilitates a comprehensive communication program, marketing strategies and external public relations activities associated with the department. This area has an Executive Director of Communications and an Administrative Assistant.

Lake Rescue and Safety (LRAS) is responsible for overseeing day to day recreational activities of UW Madison students, staff, and the general public involving aquatic activities on Lake Mendota. Lake Rescue and Safety has full time Lake Rescue and Safety Supervisors and many part time (TE) Lifesaving Station Operators on staff to fulfill this mission.

UW Madison Police Department has a Fleet and Logistics Specialist who performs duties relating to the procurement, maintenance, coordination, and inventory control of the Department’s critical supplies including vehicles, uniforms, and law enforcement equipment.

Along with a host of sworn positions, Investigative Services also has a few Professional Staff positions.

The Threat Intervention Services Director assesses threats to the personal safety of students and other university community members, posed by violent actions and statements by any person or group of people and assures a cohesive threat assessment and response process.

This area of UWPD is responsible for Clery Act compliance efforts on the UW-Madison campus. The employees in this area develop campus-wide policies relating to Clery compliance and develop and implement action plans for university-wide compliance with Clery. The team is comprised of a Campus Clery Act Director and a Campus Clery Act Coordinator.

The Court Services Liaison position provides administrative support and preparation of court documentation and records. This position also coordinates with police officers and detectives regularly on documentation and court-related needs.

UWPD has two Digital Forensics Investigator positions. One is a sworn position and the other is a professional staff (civilian) position. These positions use investigative and analytical techniques to detect and track all kinds of criminal activity that takes place on digital devices, computers, other technological devices and the internet and social media.

Support Services is overseen by the Director of Support Services and encompasses Information Technology (IT), Human Resources, Finance, and Wellness. 

The IT team takes care of all information technology needs at the UW Madison Police Department, including cybersecurity, large scale technology projects, and providing support to end users. The unit is comprised of an IT Manager and two IT User Support Specialists. 

Human Resources handles the personnel needs of the UW Madison Police Department including payroll, benefits, worker’s compensation, disability accommodations, hiring, recruitment, among other tasks. The team consists of an Employment Relations Manager, an HR Supervisor, an HR Business Partner, and a Recruitment Manager.

Finance takes care of auditing, budget planning, procurement, financial analysis, reporting, and all aspects of financial functions for UW Madison Police Department. The Financial Manager leads the team which consists of Accountants.

The UWPD Wellness Manager works to keep the UWPD staff well by supporting personnel through programming in areas such as mental and physical health.  They also head the department’s Peer Support Team. 

The Professional Standards area maintains and properly disseminates UWPD records and statistics.  It also takes care of maintaining and updating the department’s written directives and UWPD’s three accreditations. The unit is comprised of a Data and Records Analyst, an Accreditation and Policy Compliance Coordinator, and a Public Records Assistant.  

The Emergency Management Unit at UW Madison Police Department is headed by an Emergency Management Director and Deputy Emergency Management Director, who manage and direct the emergency management programs of the UW Madison Police Department. There are also Emergency Management Specialists who play key roles in planning for, responding to, and preventing emergencies at UW Madison and UW System Colleges. 

UW Madison Police Department oversees many cameras located around the campus.  The Director of Security Video Operations and Video System Tech positions support this area. 

The Access, Video, and Infrastructure Security (AVIS) unit of UWPD helps to keep UW Madison safe through building access control along with other security measures. This unit is staffed by sworn staff, security staff, and professional staff positions. The professional staff positions in this unit consist of an Access Control Supervisor, an Access Control Assistant, and multiple Security System Specialists. 

UW Madison Police Department has developed a comprehensive hiring process to evaluate the knowledge, skills and abilities of prospective employees.  Each position is unique and has different steps to assess candidates. All positions apply through the UW Jobs website.  Job postings are generally open for approximately 4 weeks.  Candidates must submit a cover letter and resume with their application. 

Candidates will be assessed on the skills needed for the professional staff position they are applying for. This will include at least one panel interview and potentially other assessments, determined by position. Professional Staff hiring processes vary; however, candidates can generally expect about a 3 month hiring and background investigation process.

All candidates who successfully complete all steps for their respective position will receive a conditional offer of employment and move to the background investigation stage. If the background investigation is deemed acceptable, the candidate will be given a final offer.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department participates in the State of Wisconsin excellent benefit program that includes the following:

• Comprehensive health insurance and prescription coverage
• Dental and vision insurance
• Life insurance (multiple, low-cost plans to choose from)
• Wisconsin Retirement System with employer matching 
• Supplemental retirement programs
• Accident coverage
• Income continuation insurance (short & long term disability)
• Flexible spending accounts (medical & dependent day care)

Generous Paid Leave:

• Vacation benefits that increase over time
• Nine paid legal holidays
• Paid personal holidays
• Paid sick leave with unlimited sick leave accrual
• 6 weeks of Paid Parental Leave

Other incentives:

• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid trainings
• On duty paid workouts
• On-site fitness room and group fitness activities
• Department provided physical therapy
• Department provided wellness massages
• Wellness workshops