While Madison attempts to respond to the police killing of Corey Ruiz on July 22, a dispute has emerged within city government over the authority of the city’s independent police monitor to subpoena materials related to the incident from the police department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice. 

In the weeks since Ruiz was killed, the city has seen the occupation of a major intersection, standoffs with police as the city moved to reclaim the occupied area, a marathon common council meeting and continued tensions between elected officials and the people they’ve empowered to oversee the city’s cops. 

Aeiramique Glass, the city’s independent police monitor, has drawn criticism for getting into an altercation with police officers while they worked to clear the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin Streets early Tuesday morning and later saying in a now-deleted video posted to social media that she would “burn this city down.” 

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said “it’s disturbing anytime a city employee is calling for violence,” while reiterating the independence of Glass’ office. William Sulton, a Milwaukee-based civil rights attorney hired by Glass to represent the office, said she was making a “figurative, idiomatic expression.”

Glass’ position was established by the common council in 2020 as part of the city’s response to the widespread police reform protests that summer. The Office of the Independent Monitor and the Police Civilian Oversight Board were established and given independence from the mayor’s office and council. 

Madison is the only city in the state with such a civilian oversight system, and this is the first time the system has had to respond to a police killing, meaning that as the board and office work to investigate Ruiz’s death, they’re testing the limits of the ordinance granting them those powers for the first time. 

Within the ordinance establishing the OIM, the city gave the office complete access to MPD documents and the authority to issue subpoenas — so long as those provisions don’t conflict with other laws. 

“The OIM shall, to the extent permitted by law, have unfettered access to all MPD records, policies, Standard Operating Procedures, data, computer databases, and other information necessary to fulfill the duties of the OIM,” the ordinance states. “The Monitor may, to the extent permitted by law, issue subpoenas for the purpose of compelling testimony or receiving documents necessary to fulfill the duties of the OIM.”

Soon after Ruiz was killed, Glass opened her own investigation and issued a subpoena to the police department demanding all records related to the shooting be handed over to her office by July 31. 

However, under state law, when a police officer kills someone, the investigation must be conducted by an outside agency. In this case, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is handling the review. DCI’s investigative report will be turned over to Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, who will determine if the officer who killed Ruiz should be charged with a crime. 

Glass, members of the oversight board and activists in the community have argued that the ordinance establishing OIM granting “unfettered access” to police department materials and subpoena authority means that the department should hand over its materials related to the shooting — including dash cam videos, 911 call recordings, a list of officers on duty and communications with the chief of police. 

“We have a mandate and an ordinance that says we are to have unfettered access to all of MPD’s records, databases, video footage, everything,” Glass told the Examiner. “There’s no limit to what we are able to and should have access to.”

But the city attorney’s office, MPD and city officials say that limits on the office’s subpoena authority are set under state law. Once the independent investigation started, all of those materials, initially under the purview of the department, are now controlled by DOJ and state law prevents the release of evidence and materials pertaining to an open criminal investigation. 

Because DOJ is investigating a government employee, state law also prevents the release of “information relating to the current investigation of a possible criminal offense or possible misconduct connected with employment by an employee prior to disposition of the investigation.”

“I think the case is clearly made [that] we can’t interfere with a criminal investigation,” Madison Alder Tag Evers told the Examiner. “The concern is the release of that information could compromise the ongoing investigation and if it’s determined prosecution is warranted, complicate or interfere with the prosecution of a crime.”

DOJ’s work in these cases can often be slow and clash with the public’s demands for answers. The Examiner has previously reported on the flaws of the independent investigation system. 

 A spokesperson for DOJ did not respond to a request for comment.

The argument over the limits of the Madison independent monitor’s subpoena power have resulted in dueling FAQ pages on the city’s website in which the mayor’s office says it is limited in what can be released and Glass accuses the city attorney and mayor of helping the police department obstruct her investigation. 

This dispute was explicitly predicted when the common council drafted the ordinance in 2020. In a pair of memos to the council, City Attorney Michael Haas wrote that giving the independent monitor  subpoena power without explicitly outlining its limits could lead to legal challenges.

“It is the opinion of our Office that the Council may enact an ordinance providing subpoena authority to the Independent Monitor,” the memo states. “Where there is no contrary statutory provision or contractual right, we would expect such subpoenas to be enforceable.  It is less clear that a subpoena issued in the course of an investigation, or in a case which could lead to a disciplinary decision by the Police Chief or PFC, would be held to be enforceable if challenged.” 

Haas’ memo also directly addresses the question of officer-involved shooting investigations. 

“It may also be useful to note that, under [the statute], all officer-involved shooting deaths are investigated in the first instance by an outside law enforcement agency rather than by MPD, and that the Monitor would not be entitled to participate in such investigations,” the memo states. 

At a meeting of the Police Civilian Oversight Board Executive Subcommittee on Wednesday, Haas and board members continued to debate the issue.

“People cannot deny that the words ‘to the extent permitted by law,’ are in the ordinances, and I think that has been consistently overlooked when people simply talk about unfettered access and subpoena authority,” said Haas, whose office is working to release an official opinion on the issue. “Those words were intentionally put in the ordinances, and that means we have to look to existing Wisconsin law.”

But members of the board and independent monitor staff suggested that Haas’ office should seek outside legal opinions on the matter and charged that the city attorney’s office has a conflict of interest in the matter. Glass has asserted several times that the ordinance’s grant of independence to her office means that the city attorney doesn’t represent the office — a claim that city officials also dispute. 

“There’s an inherent structural conflict of interest between city attorney offices and police oversight agencies,” the independent monitor’s data analyst Greg Gelembiuk said at the Wednesday meeting. “You can see this play out again and again and again across cities in the U.S. City attorney’s offices are very enmeshed with police departments, and of course, the mayor’s office. They have a primary role of risk management. Police oversight agencies have a primary role of investigating police, exposing the truth. Those roles are in conflict, and because of that, you have a universal pattern where you cannot rely on the opinions of the city attorney’s office to be accurate and valid.” 

Glass has hired an outside attorney, Milwaukee-based William Sulton, to represent the office, telling the Examiner that she has “the ability to take full legal action that is available to us.” Sulton did not respond to a request for comment. 

Glass has previously threatened to sue the city over the limits of her authority, a legal action that itself is in dispute because even though the ordinance grants the office independence, it is still a city department and a city can’t sue itself. 

“The basic law in Wisconsin is that one city agency cannot sue another city agency. City agencies are all part of the same organization and one arm cannot sue another arm,” Haas told the Madison alternative newspaper Isthmus during the previous episode. “City agencies have the authority delegated to them in the ordinances and cannot file lawsuits independent of the city.”

Madison city officials attempted to hold a press conference Thursday after a police officer shot and killed a man, identified as Corey Ruiz, at a busy intersection on Williamson and Baldwin streets Wednesday. The briefing was derailed by a group of protesters who arrived and took over the podium, sparking a verbal altercation with Madison residents who also wanted to express their discontent and question Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Police Chief John Patterson, and Common Council President Sabrina Madison. 

“My immediate concern, right now, is for the well-being of our community,” Rhodes-Conway said at the beginning of the press conference, speaking to reporters while local residents began taking seats in the small room. “I want to make sure that everyone who needs it has access to resources and mental health support. Those resources exist, and are available if you need them.” 

Rhodes-Conway urged residents to use the 9-8-8 hotline for urgent mental health support, or to text either “home” or “hola” to 741-741 to reach volunteer crisis counselors, or to contact the Dane County crisis hotline at 608-280-2609. 

The shooting triggered  outrage, anger and  grief among residents, especially those who witnessed it directly. 

Video taken by bystanders shows several officers wrestling Ruiz to the ground. While he is on the ground, one of the officers appears to fire several shots into Ruiz’s head at close range. The Madison Police Department does not have a universal body camera program, and Chief Patterson has pushed local elected officials to implement a body camera program in the 2027 budget. During the press conference Thursday, Patterson said a criminal homicide investigation has been opened in the shooting.

The shooting is being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Patterson said Wednesday that the officer who fired was injured by a fixed-blade knife Ruiz brandished. Patterson also said that officers had confronted Ruiz after responding to a call from someone in the neighborhood who said he was checking cars, but that Ruiz fled before they chased him to  the intersection. 

State law requires that officer-involved shootings be investigated by an outside agency in order to maintain objectivity and public trust. The investigations can take months, after which the case is handed over to a local district attorney who then determines whether an officer will be charged for the shooting. Madison residents, impatient for more information and still angry about the 2015 police shooting of Tony Robinson in the same neighborhood, are demanding a response from city officials.

“This is an incredibly difficult moment for the Madison community,” Rhodes-Conway said. “And I understand the very difficult emotions that people are feeling. I am feeling them too. As a city, as a community, as a society, we have to do better.” She added  that “it does not matter who you are, or what your past is, you should not lose your life as a result of an encounter with law enforcement. That should not happen.” 

“Like many in our community today, I have a lot of questions and concerns about what happened yesterday,” Rhodes Conway said, “what decisions were made by officers that led to escalation instead of de-escalation; what different choices could have been made to prevent harm; what needs to change — police policy, or training, or anything else — to prevent more deaths.”

Madison, the city council president, said Ruiz could have been any number of people, including people she knows and loves. She added that she has family members who have struggled with mental illness, homelessness, and that Black and brown children are taught by their parents how to interact with police in order to survive the encounter, something Madison said her white friends with children have no need to discuss with their own sons. Madison said that Ruiz “is a person, he’s a human being, he has a family, he has parents who loved him, you know, who brought him home, who cared for him, who poured into him.”

Watching the videos Madison said she could hear the sounds, she could hear officers yelling “taser,” and she can also hear the shots fired. Madison said she asked herself, “When the officer’s walking away, why isn’t he walking away in cuffs?” She said her thoughts are with Ruiz’s family because “his death is final, there is no coming back from death.” 

Madison, the mayor, and the police chief all called for a full, fair and transparent investigation. Madison also said that “we should be pushing and advocating for our district attorney to charge folks” and that people should engage with the district attorney, the Division of Criminal Investigation, the city’s independent police monitor, and the Police and Fire Commission. Madison encouraged residents to file complaints with those organizations, as well as the police department. “I think you should take every route for justice for Corey; I don’t think you should limit yourself.” 

Patterson said that he didn’t want to “rush past” the fact that Ruiz’s family and the community are grieving. He said that the Madison Police Department requested a full, independent criminal investigation. Patterson said that the Division of Criminal Investigation will release the name of the officer on its own timeline, and that the Madison Police Department has limited information about and involvement in the investigation. Recalling the words of retired former Madison Police Chief David Couper, Patterson said that police “cannot do the job unless you have the support of the community.” He added that Couper once wrote that “use of physical force by police is a sacred public trust…The more force a department uses, the less trust and support it has from the people it serves. The more force we use, the less trust we have.”

As Patterson spoke about the need to recognize  the trauma the community has experienced from  past shootings, Carlos LeMar Dixon of Milwaukee entered the room with a small entourage. Dixon yelled, “We can shut this down, you can stop talking!” 

“You’re going to say the same thing you all say every time a Black body gets shot down in this city,” Dixon yelled, adding, “Have no fear, the anti-Zionist is here!” 

Dixon continued yelling over the chief while walking to the podium, about imperialism and Zionism, asserting that he would not allow any public officials to speak or answer questions. Dixon also scolded reporters in the room to hear the briefing from public officials for not asking him questions instead. 

Some of Dixon’s supporters also yelled, helping him drown out the mayor, chief and common council president. Meanwhile some Madison residents in the room argued with Dixon, sparking a tense verbal confrontation as Dixon and members of his group hurled insults and threats at various people. Some of the Madison residents, while critical of the public officials at the briefing, demanded that Dixon either calm down or leave so that relevant questions could be asked. 

At one point after the chaotic exchange, Mayor Rhodes-Conway left and Patterson held the podium to answer questions. 

Patterson answered a question from the Examiner about whether officers are trained under Defense and Arrest Tactics to use the least amount of force necessary to overcome a threat, and whether officers who use deadly force must evaluate whether the threat is still present after each shot is fired. “There is a standard of a threat of great bodily harm or death that must be articulated to one’s self or someone else,” Patterson began. “And so that is a standard that [Division of Criminal Investigation] will be evaluating when they start, that is a standard that we use when we use our use of force review.” 

Under Defense and Arrest Tactics, there are several levels of force available to police officers including their mere presence, which can discourage criminal activity, less lethal force such as  tasers and deadly force. The standard for use of force is evaluated through the perspective of a hypothetical “reasonable officer” faced with the same situation, and questions whether such an officer would have used deadly force. Prior to shooting Ruiz, one of the four officers involved deployed a taser, which Patterson said was ineffective. 

The Examiner asked Patterson how the reasonable officer standard would apply when four officers are involved in a situation and only one officer chooses to use deadly force. Patterson declined to respond to that question citing the ongoing investigation. Patterson also said that the officer who fired was not a supervisor — such as a sergeant or lieutenant — but that he was a veteran officer with 11 years experience. He added that he did not have information about whether the officer who fired had a history of discipline or citizen complaints, but he did say that he’d never been involved in a deadly force incident before. 

Evening vigil 

More than 24 hours after the shooting, protesters still controlled the intersection where Ruiz was killed. Initial barricades of garbage bins and mattresses were reinforced by police blockades and Madison city snow plows.

Activists and community members held a vigil Thursday evening in the intersection with hundreds of people somberly listening as pained members of Madison’s Black community spoke, with chants of Ruiz’s name interspersed like the response in a prayer.

Juliana Bennett, a former Madison alder who is now running in the Democratic primary for the 76th Assembly District — which includes Willy Street — noted in a speech to the crowd that the killing of Ruiz took place six years after the police protests of 2020, which themselves took place six years after Madison police killed Tony Robinson, a few blocks west of the spot where the vigil was held, in 2015.

Bennett said that police killings are policy decisions and noted that in a liberal community such as Madison, police violence and racism are often met with “committee after committee, meeting after meeting,” and implored community members to continue pressing local officials for change. 

A Maryland man was arrested after he allegedly stole a privately owned school bus and drove it through a red light before striking a curb, reported Yahoo news.

According to the news report, officers first noticed the school bus at approximately 10:30 a.m. July 19 after the driver allegedly failed to stop at a red light at an intersection in Waldorf, Maryland.

Officers reportedly initiated a traffic stop. As the driver pulled the school bus over, he struck a curb and caused damage to the front of the vehicle. The extent of the damage was not immediately disclosed.

When officers approached the school bus, they reportedly found the driver alone inside. No passengers or students were on board the bus at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported. The driver was identified as 34-year-old Joseph Andrew Townsend of Waldorf.

Investigators accuse Townsend of entering a privately owned school bus lot, locating the keys to one of the buses and driving away with the vehicle. Officials did not identify the company that owns the bus or disclose where the lot was located.

It was also unclear how long the bus had been missing before officers spotted it or whether the vehicle had been reported stolen before the traffic stop. Townsend was reportedly arrested and charged with theft of property valued at more than $25,000. He was held without bond following his arrest. The investigation remained ongoing.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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A 7-year-old girl was fatally struck by a school bus July 8 while crossing a street in Monsey, New York.

Officers responded at approximately 9 a.m. to a report of a child struck by a school bus in front of 182 Blauvelt Road. The girl, a Monsey resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released her identity. But the Monsey Scoop reported the girl’s name as Blima Weber.

According to a police news release, the bus was being operated by a 28-year-old Monsey resident and was a full-size yellow school bus operated by Yeshiva Viznitz. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

Police said the driver was screened for alcohol and drugs and showed no signs of impairment. Preliminary findings also indicate speed was not a contributing factor in the crash. No criminal charges are pending against the driver at this time, though the investigation remains active.

The Town of Ramapo Police Department’s Crash Investigation Unit is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.

This marks the fourth student fatality involving a school bus in New York during the 2025–2026 school year, according to School Transportation News data

Authorities have not said whether the bus was transporting students at the time of the collision, how many passengers may have been aboard, or whether it was actively loading or unloading students. Police have not released information about whether onboard camera footage is being reviewed. STN requested more information but received no response at the time of this report.

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Four people were injured after a Cumberland County Schools activity bus carrying high school football players and staff overturned Wednesday morning in Leland while returning from a summer competition, reported WECT News 6.

According to the news report, the crash occurred July 8 around 11:35 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. 17 and U.S. 74/76. Authorities said 33 people were aboard the bus, including 26 students and seven adults from Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville.

The group was returning from a seven-on-seven football matchup against South Brunswick High School when the bus overturned. Officials reported that two adults and two students were injured in the crash. All occupants were transported to area hospitals for evaluation.

Leland Fire Department Battalion Chief James Lancaster said the incident could have had a far more serious outcome. “There’s a lot of things that go through our mind when we hear rolled-over school bus, especially that it’s occupied,” Lancaster said via the article, adding that responders were grateful no life-threatening injuries were reported.

Cumberland County Schools said via the article that all students and staff had been released from the hospital except for one staff member, who remained under medical care as a precaution, at the time of this report.

“We again appreciate the swift response of law enforcement, first responders and medical personnel who assisted our students and staff,” the district said. “Emergency crews responded to the overturned bus and evaluated everyone on board. The crash scene remained closed for several hours while investigators processed evidence, and crews worked to remove the vehicle. Lancaster said responders were relieved the outcome was not more severe given the nature of the crash.

Leland police continue to investigate the cause of the crash. No information about contributing factors or potential charges has been released.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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The post North Carolina Bus Carrying High School Football Team Overturns, Injuring Four appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Miami-Dade County school bus driver has been arrested after authorities said she left a sleeping 6-year-old boy unattended on a school bus, allowing him to wander through a Southwest Miami-Dade neighborhood before being found by a Good Samaritan, reported WSVN News.

Patricia Barberena, 62, was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with child neglect, according to the news report. Authorities said the incident occurred after Barberena picked up the child from a day care facility and was supposed to transport him to school.

Investigators said via the article that the boy fell asleep during the ride and remained on the bus when it arrived at the school. Rather than conducting a post-route inspection, Barberena allegedly drove the bus to her residence, parked it and went inside without checking whether any students were still on board.

The child later woke up, exited the bus, and reportedly began walking through the neighborhood alone. Investigators estimated the wandering child was unsupervised for approximately 15 minutes before a passerby noticed him and contacted authorities.

School officials reportedly became aware of the situation when the child failed to arrive at school as expected. According to investigators, the school contacted Barberena after noticing the student was missing. Barberena then left her residence and began searching for the child.

During a post-Miranda interview with investigators, Barberena reportedly admitted she did not inspect the bus before leaving it parked at her home.

The child was safely located, and no injuries were reported. Barberena appeared in bond court following her arrest, where a judge found probable cause for the charge and set her bond at $2,500. It was not immediately clear whether Barberena remained employed following her arrest. The incident remains under investigation.

Written with assistance from AI.

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A 16-year-old Harrisburg teen has been charged with criminal homicide after the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old student moments after stepping off a school bus.

Jeremiah Moran, 16, is charged with first-degree murder, firearms not to be carried without a license, and possession of a firearm by a minor in connection with the death of a 17-year-old.

Police said the fatal shooting occurred May 29 near an intersection shortly after students were dismissed from school and days before the end of the school year. The 17-year-old had just exited a school bus when investigators say Moran approached and opened fire. The victim was transported to a local hospital for emergency care but died due to his injuries.

Video Shows Fatal Shooting

Investigators reportedly obtained video evidence allegedly showing Moran firing the weapon to shoot the victim, identified as Camar Cordero by local reports. Police said via local news that Moran later admitted to officers that he shot Cordero.

“There still is some of the puzzle that needs to be put together. But at this point in time, I think we have a pretty good understanding of what transpired and as to why it transpired as well,” Harrisburg Police Capt. Kyle Gautsch told local news reporters.

Investigators have not publicly released a motive for the fatal shooting.

However, the shooting prompted a large police response as officers secured the scene and collected evidence. Authorities noted that a school bus visible at the scene was not the bus Cordero had been riding but another bus traveling behind it.

Sixth Street remained closed for several hours while detectives processed evidence. Crime scene tape surrounded a large section of the roadway, where investigators marked multiple pieces of evidence. Witnesses reported seeing clothing and numerous evidence markers within the secured area. The road reopened around 6:15 p.m.

Neighbors who rushed to assist the victim described a chaotic scene in the moments after gunfire erupted. Judith Weaver, who helped organize emergency aid before first responders arrived, said residents immediately worked to help the wounded teen.

“I knew the bus had just let out. So, I went running down there,” Weaver told local news reporters. “Everyone was just so worked up. It was all chaos.”

Weaver said bystanders used available fabric to apply pressure to Cordero’s wounds while waiting for emergency personnel. She credited several community members, including a young girl who assisted efforts to keep the victim conscious.

Lt. Brandon Braughler of the Harrisburg Police Bureau praised residents who responded and cooperated with investigators. “The community came out,” Braughler said. “They’ve been very cooperative helping establish a very large crime scene.”

The fatal shooting has renewed concerns about youth violence in the city. Gautsch urged parents to remain actively involved in their children’s lives and be aware of potential warning signs.

“Make sure you know what’s going on with your children, what’s going on in their heads, and what’s in your lives and their lives,” Gautsch said.

The Harrisburg School District also responded to the tragedy. Superintendent Benjamin Henry said he hopes to hold a memorial in the coming days for Cordero and another student who died last week after being struck by a vehicle.

“As a father and an educator, I refuse to normalize this tragic shooting,” Henry said in a statement, calling on residents, community leaders and elected officials to work together to address violence affecting young people.

Police continue to investigate and are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the Harrisburg Bureau of Police.

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A Citrus County man was arrested May 21 after he pulled a handgun on a substitute school bus driver at a designated bus stop, reported Fox 13.

According to the news report, Otoniel Carlos O’Valle, who also goes by “Oto,” drove to the school bus stop May 22 in an blue Chevrolet Blazer shortly before 8:10 a.m. Investigators said he approached the open door of the school bus, removed a black handgun from his waistband and asked the driver if she was the regular bus operator.

The substitute driver told O’Valle she was filling in for the regular driver. Deputies said O’Valle told the woman it was her “lucky day” before placing the firearm into his front pocket.

O’Valle reportedly explained he was upset because the regular bus driver had allegedly yelled at his children during a previous interaction. A bus aide later confirmed there had been tension involving the regular driver and O’Valle’s children.

The incident was reported to a school resource officer at Citrus Springs Elementary School, prompting an investigation by the sheriff’s office major crimes unit.

Authorities said detectives reviewed onboard audio and video from the school bus security system. The footage captured the substitute driver identifying the object as a firearm when O’Valle approached the bus. Detectives also said the video showed O’Valle holding an object consistent with a handgun before placing it into his pocket.

The sheriff’s office has not publicly released the audio or video footage from the bus.

Sheriff David Vincent said his agency takes immediate action on threats involving schools, students, or staff members.

“Anyone who threatens or brings harm toward a Citrus County school, its staff, or our children, will face an immediate and uncompromising response from law enforcement,” Vincent said in a statement. “We will not allow anyone to endanger the safety of our students or the people who protect them.” The investigation is ongoing.

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