By james art Madison Police Chief Sean Barnes has reaffirmed his commitment to Wisconsin’s capital city after taking the top police job in Chicago last year. Barnes has now finished second for the job in California.
Barnes was one of two finalists for San Jose police chief after a nationwide search, according to a story in The Mercury News. On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council selected current San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph as its new permanent chief.
The Wisconsin State Journal was unable to independently confirm Barnes’ finalist status. City Manager Carolyn Camarena declined to identify Barnes or any other finalists who were not selected for the chief position, citing “the integrity of the hiring process.” Madison police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Barnes succeeds interim Madison Police Chief Vic Wall in 2021.
Barnes came under fire last year for his highly publicized bid to become Chicago’s police chief, where he previously served as director of training and professional development for a police oversight group. Barnes was open in his irritation with those who questioned his commitment to Madison.
“Only in Madison do people want to know about things that, frankly, are none of their business,” Barnes said in an interview after being passed over for a job in Chicago.
Madison police chiefs over the years
Madison police chiefs over the years
The city of Madison has had 29 police chiefs, from Fred Mohr, who served from 1856 to 1857, to Mike Koval, who was sworn in on April 30, 2014 and resigned on September 30, 2019. Here are some of those former chiefs, for which we can find pictures.
16. John E. “Big Jack” Adamson, 1887-1894
John E. “Big Jack” Adamson, front row second from left, served as Madison’s police chief from 1887 to 1894.
John Adamson was probably the most effective police chief the city ever had, according to “Madison, Past and Present,” a history of Madison covering the years 1852 to 1902. He was known far and wide as “Big Jack” Adamson , standing over six feet tall and weighing about 240 pounds. He was a shrewd, shrewd detective, and probably more crooks and thieves knew him than any other man in police circles.
Front row from left: Frank Currier, John Adamson, Jake Togsland and John Scherer.
Back row from left: Tom Shaughnessy (who would serve as Chief of Police from 1907 to 1925), Jake Berend, Arne K. and Alex O’Neill.
The photo was taken in 1895.
Wisconsin Historical Society
19. Henry C. Baker, 1897-1907
Henry Chapman Baker served as Madison’s Chief of Police from 1897-1907.
WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
21. Frank L. Trostle, 1925-1930
Frank Trostle served as the Madison Police Chief from 1925-1930.
23. William H. McCormick, 1931-1948
William McCormick served as Madison’s Chief of Police from 1931-1948. McCormick was a lawman for 41 years, starting in December 1908 as the 13th Patrolman of a 19-man force and working his way through the ranks to to become chief. He also served as Dane County Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff from 1919 to 1925.
Wisconsin State Historical Society
24. Bruce Weatherly, 1949-1959
Bruce Weatherly served as the Madison Police Chief from 1949 to 1959.
Weatherly hails from San Antonio, Texas, and his appointment was fiercely opposed by the police union and others in the city because of his outsider status. He made a number of unpopular changes to the department, including new disciplinary rules and the introduction of his first officer training program (previously, new officers received a badge and a gun and bonded with senior officers for a few weeks).
His tenure was difficult and ended dramatically in 1959 when he was fired from city government after crashing into a tanker truck while drunk. The incident and the actions of the mayor and the City Council gripped the city.
After he was suspended, technicians discovered a series of microphones hidden in police headquarters that Weatherly had installed to make secret recordings, something members of the department had long suspected.
Archives of the State Gazette
25. Wilbur H. Emery, 1959-1972
Wilbur Emery served as Madison’s police chief from 1959 to 1972. A lifelong resident of Madison, on his first day at the police department in August 1946, he was dispatched to settle a complaint about a cash shortage. When he returned he was issued his badge, baton and gun.
He led the police department during the violent anti-war protests of the late 1960s, during which escalating violence and vandalism were met with increased police force. Emery’s department was accused of brutality in its response to the riots. “We were met with brute force that equaled—and at times exceeded—what we could use,” he later recalled.
Friends said the difficulty of running the ward during such a difficult period contributed to the heart disease Emery later developed and eventually died of in 1983 at the age of 61.
Archives of the State Gazette
26. David K. Cooper, 1973-1993
David Cooper, right, served as Madison’s police chief from 1973 to 1993. He had the longest tenure of any Madison police chief at 20 years.
Archives of the State Gazette
27. Richard Williams, 1993-2004
Richard Williams served as the Madison Police Chief from 1993 to 2004. He was the first African-American Police Chief in Madison.
Archives of the State Gazette
28. Noble Wray, 2004-2013
Noble Ray served as Madison’s police chief from 2004 to 2013.
AMBER ARNOLD — State Gazette Archives
29. Mike Koval, 2014-2019
Mike Koval served as Chief of Police from April 30, 2014 to September 30, 2019.
AMBER ARNOLD — State Gazette
San Jose City Manager Carolyn Camarena declined to identify Barnes or any other finalists who were not selected for the chief position, citing “the integrity of the hiring process.”