MADISON, Wis. — Just over a week after former Wisconsin Parole Commission chairman John Tate II was picked to be Madison’s first-ever Independent Police Monitor, Tate has decided against taking the job, city officials announced Tuesday.
In a brief statement Tuesday evening, the Police Civilian Oversight Board said it learned Monday that Tate would be withdrawing his acceptance of the role “to accept another opportunity.” The release did not provide further details about that job.
“The Board is executing its next steps and will release an update shortly,” the statement read.
The board first announced Tate’s hire last Monday, with chair Keetra Burnette saying in a statement he “has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to actively listening to – and serving as an advocate for – some of the most marginalized individuals and families in our state.”
Tate’s hire and subsequent withdrawal is the latest obstacle in the process to fill the role, which the Common Council created in September 2020 to oversee the Madison Police Department’s compliance with its internal policies and procedures. Applications for the job first opened last July; in January, the only finalist, Byron Bishop, withdrew from consideration due to family reasons.
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Tate previously served as the leader of the Wisconsin Parole Commission but stepped down in the wake of a controversial decision earlier this year to grant parole to a man convicted of killing his wife in the late 1990s. Tate, at Gov. Tony Evers’ request, later rescinded the man’s parole.
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