District 10 Alder Yannette Figueora Cole introduced the resolution at the very end of Tuesday night's Common Council meeting. The council is scheduled to vote on the measure at its next meeting on Nov. 24. If approved, it would suspend the very board the council created six years ago.

The escalation follows the PCOB's decision on Monday to appoint Rebecca Kemble, a former alder for District 18, to replace former interim independent police monitor Aeiramique Glass. Glass had been removed from the role despite protests from the board last month.

Glass was provisionally appointed at the end of 2025, a move approved by Human Resources in accordance with city personnel rules. In June 2026, the Common Council voted to extend her provisional appointment. But after a chaotic conflict over the scope of Glass' authority and whether she was executing her duties, the council voted to terminate the extension. That vote came at the end of a marathon meeting that spanned more than 12 hours, during which some alders had to be escorted out of the City County Building by police.

At the PCOB's meeting Monday night, City Attorney Michael Haas warned the board that its appointment would set up yet another fight with the council.

"The PCOB is a subunit of the council. And if you want to have a standoff with the council, go ahead and make your appointment. It will not be approved by the HR director," Haas said, according to a report by Channel 3000.

Haas cited the council's resolution terminating the extension of Glass' provisional appointment, which stated that the council's chief of staff, Karen Kapusta, would supervise the Office of the Independent Monitor until a permanent monitor is hired or until further order from the Common Council. But PCOB members categorized Kapusta's taking on that role as a conflict of interest.

PCOB Chair Devon Snyder said in a statement that the board was not seeking new authority in its decision to appoint Kemble.

"The Board remains committed to transparency, accountability, and meaningful civilian oversight in service to the residents of Madison," Snyder said.

Haas released a competing statement, arguing that the board's vote was outside its authority.

"The vote taken by the PCOB is outside its authority provided by the ordinance that governs the body and well-established City personnel policies... Consequently, the vote by the PCOB has no effect," Haas said.

Snyder acknowledged that HR Director Erin Stenson will not confirm the board's vote, meaning Kemble is not technically the interim monitor. Snyder said early Tuesday evening that Kemble had sent an email to Haas requesting a due process hearing. Although she is not the official interim monitor, Kemble has retained Glass' former counsel.

The conflict has set up a potential legal battle as the council considers whether to suspend the board it created. The PCOB was established to provide independent civilian oversight of the police department, a function that supporters say is essential for building community trust and ensuring accountability. The board's supporters argue that attempts to suspend it undermine that mission and silence civilian voices.

The resolution to suspend the PCOB will be taken up at the council's Nov. 24 meeting, where alders are expected to debate the scope of the board's authority and the future of police oversight in Madison.