A memorandum to state lawmakers from Madison police comes in the wake of last week’s beer dumping incident. Madison Chief of Police Noble Wray drafted the document in order to make sure legislators in his city know they that just because they are elected officials doesn’t mean they have to put up with abuse or harassment. “I wanted to make sure that people know that if someone crosses the line, please let us know,” said Wray. “And sometimes it’s helpful to talk to law enforcement to help figure out if someone’s crossing the line.”
The memo was released, said Wray, in response to last week’s incident in which a longterm protestor dumped beer on Republican lawmakers at a Capitol Square hotel. “The person who did this, there were activities leading up to this, and it appeared to be escalating behavior,” said Wray. “I wanted to make sure that any lawmaker would feel comfortable reporting that type of information.” The memo also spells out what lawmakers can do to keep themselves safe. The beer dumper was charged with disorderly conduct.