Think football games, Freakfest and Friday night bar fights. Now pretend you're Madison's chief of police. To say the very least, Noble Wray does not have an easy job.
Wray has been the city's head honcho at the Madison Police Department since 2004. During his six-year tenure as chief, a stunted economy has left the police department with little financial wiggle room. Faced with constant media scrutiny and an overextended police force, Wray has had to fight hard to bring a sense of security to Madison.
Over the past decade, one of the easiest measurements of police success has been Freakfest. Since taking over as chief, Wray—along with some help from the city's Planning Commission—has exceeded expectations in keeping Freakfest safe, with only 43 citations issued this Halloween.
Wray makes our list for stepping up to the challenge year after year. Madison would be a lot scarier without him.
—Dan Tollefson
