Black Youth Academy creates better relationships with police

Black Youth Academy creates stronger relationships with law enforcement

BY Cody Taylor Wisconsin

PUBLISHED 5:12 PM ET Jun. 23, 2025 PUBLISHED 5:12 PM EDT Jun. 23, 2025

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department’s Black Youth Academy kicked off on Monday.

The week-long summer program is open to students in the Madison area entering seventh and eighth grades.

What You Need To Know

The week-long summer program is open to students in the Madison area entering seventh and eighth grades

The program is free and offers transportation, as well as breakfast and lunch

Officer Lucien Senatus said this academy is meant to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and community members

Since 2021, the number of shots fired instances has dropped every year, according to department data

The program is free and offers transportation, as well as breakfast and lunch.

Officer Lucien Senatus, with the Madison Police Department, said this academy is meant to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and community members.

“It is a chance for kids to interact with police officers, particularly officers that are Black, so they know that we are here. I still run into people that believe Madison does not have any Black officers,” said Senatus.

The academy has been taking place for over a decade.

(Spectrum News 1/Cody Taylor)

This is the second year in a row that Madison area senior Faith Washington has attended the academy.

“At first, I thought they were really bad, and they did not really want to do good, but then when I first came here it changed my perspective by seeing there are some nice police officers out there,” said Washington.

Since 2021, the number of shots fired instances has dropped every year, according to department data.

Homicides

2025 Quarter 1 – 0
2024 – 6
2023 – 10
2022 – 7
2021 – 10
2020 – 9
2019 – 4
2018 – 5

Shots Fired

2025 Quarter 1 – 30
2024 – 131
2023 – 149
2022 – 184
2021 – 232

The city has reached a four-year low of 131 such incidents in 2024.

Senatus feels that a big part of keeping crime down comes from building strong relationships and trust with community members.

“Teaching them about how to make positive decisions so they are not in a position where they are around guns or around crowds they are not supposed to be,” said Senatus. “Hopefully if they get a chance to see us as mentors, we can guide them in that right direction.”

While Senatus said the goal is not to encourage youth to become police officers, in Washington's case, it did just that.

“Last year changed my whole perspective and they taught so much stuff about what they do in the police force, so that makes me want to do it,” said Washington.