MADISON, Wis — Only one candidate remains in consideration to become Madison’s Independent Police Monitor, but the city’s Police Civilian Oversight Board is still deciding whether to offer him the job.
Two candidates — Byron Bishop and another person — rose to the top of the list, but the second candidate, whom the board did not name, has withdrawn from consideration, the board said in the release Friday afternoon.
Public interviews with Bishop are set to continue to determine whether he should get the job or the process should start over. The group plans to make a final decision next month after a closed interview set to take place “in the coming weeks.”
“Although only one candidate remains, no hiring decision has been made, and community input remains vital to the Board’s decision,” the release said.
Madison’s Common Council voted to create the group last September to not only hire the monitor but also conduct police assessments and make officer use-of-force and discipline recommendations. It cannot decide to punish or fire officers, however.
The group has been the subject of a lawsuit over its makeup. Earlier this year, the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sued over requirements that four of the group’s 11 members be from specific racial groups.
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