MADISON, Ind. (WDRB) -- The City of Madison is getting a new chief to lead its police department.
Detective Sgt. Shawn Scudder, a 10-year veteran of the Madison Police Department, was sworn in Wednesday as the new chief of police after being appointed by Madison Mayor Bob Courtney.
Scudder will officially begin his new role on Jan. 3, taking over for outgoing Chief John Wallace, who is retiring.
Madison Police Department
"It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Madison and Jefferson County as a police officer," Wallace said in a written statement earlier this month. "I have been blessed to serve with some of the best men and women Madison / Jefferson County has to offer and sincerely appreciate the opportunity Mayor Bob Courtney gave me, returning to the city police to finish out my career as chief."
Scudder, born and raised in Madison, is a graduate of Madison Consolidated Schools.
"This community has been great to us," he said Thursday. "My wife works at the hospital, has for several years. My kids go to school here. I've got a lot going on here, so it's very important to me."
Scudder has led many projects during his tenure in the department, such as Operation Predator Net, a program that works to end crimes against children. He is also credited with starting the Police Advocacy and Support Services (PASS) program, providing mental health resources for law enforcement in the area.
Scudder praised Wallace for some of the things that have been implemented within the department, speaking highly of the detective and traffic divisions.
"I want to keep that in place," Scudder said, talking about the traffic division. "That's something that's very important. As many tourists as we have coming into the City of Madison, we need traffic control in our downtown area."
Madison, Indiana
Scudder said while the population of Madison is about 13,000, the police department typically sees well more than that with people coming to town as tourists or for work.
He said he expects to make a a few "minor" changes within the police department but "nothing drastic."
Scudder plans to spend the early days of his new role talking with officers and seeing what visions they have for the department.
"I just want everybody in the public to know that we're going to be open and accessible," he said. "If anybody has any concerns, please come forward. Call me, let me know, and we will do our best to address those as quickly as we can."
Scudder said, among other things, his goals include retaining officers, continuing to build upon the detective division and implementing community watch programs throughout the city.
"I think there's a lot of people in Madison that are vigilant," he said. "They want to be involved. They want their communities to be safer, their neighborhoods to be safer."
With Scudder moving into the chief role, there will be an open position to fill within the police department. Scudder said when they're fully staffed, there will be 34 sworn officers.
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- Madison, Indiana's 'Operation Predator Net' results in several arrests, convictions
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