The Public Safety Review Committee discussed and approved the Downtown Safety Initiative plan for 2010 Tuesday.
""The very target of the plan is meeting the workload of the downtown with the appropriate number of officers,"" Madison Police Department Cpt. Mary Schauf said.
When bars in the downtown area close at night, the streets flood with people and there may not be enough officers to handle it, she said. Schauf said this contributes to the rise of alcohol-related crime and incidents.
Jim Keiken of the Madison Fire Department said the size of nighttime crowds also depends on the time of year.
""Warmer weather, the approach to Mifflin, Halloween and the first two weeks on campus usually place a lot of calls to the EMT and fire department,"" he said.
The DSI would situate more officers downtown with the hope of lowering alcohol-related crime.
""One of the goals of the project is to intercede before it happens, preventing the actual battery or the incident,"" Schauf said.
""I think this is a subject that we should be talking about,"" Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9, said. ""What happens downtown affects the other districts. I'm not saying it negatively, but it just affects everyone, and it needs to be taken into account.""
The committee approved the DSI plan and its recommendations for 2010, but the plan still requires approval by the Common Council.
Committee members also discussed the proposed automated system for the 911 Center.
The proposal would provide individuals with a nonemergency phone number with an automatic attendant to handle the call.
""The problem with the auto attendant is that it asks the individual a lot of questions, asking them to determine if their case is life-threatening or not,"" Keiken said.
Decisions regarding the 911 Center were referred to the next committee meeting.
