NW Wisconsin cop forced out for bad behavior now working at Hayward PD

Officer Matthew Frey resigned in lieu of termination from the Cumberland Police Department after facing dozens of complaints, including cursing at civilians and watching YouTube on duty.

By Annie Pulley, THE BADGER PROJECT

An officer who worked for the Cumberland Police Department was forced out amid an internal investigation listing dozens of professionalism complaints, which included yelling at citizens and watching hours of YouTube while on duty. He now works as a school resource officer and patrol officer for the City of Hayward Police Department. 

Matthew Frey “resigned in lieu of termination” after working eight years at the department in Cumberland, according to a state database that tracks negative separations in law enforcement. He was hired by his current department a month after he resigned.

The investigation, which The Badger Project obtained through a records request, includes a 10-page list of complaints against Frey. They include compromising the safety of an alleged abuse survivor, yelling at a child at a homecoming football game, and acting disrespectfully to coworkers and members of the public.

“I have received more complaints on Officer Frey than the entire department combined,” wrote Cumberland Police Chief Heather Wolfe in the investigation.

Frey’s current police chief in Hayward, Marshal Savitski, wrote in an email that he was aware of Frey’s history before he hired him, but Savitski said it wasn’t criminal.

“I only discovered disciplinary issues,” Savitski wrote. “I am confident that those policy concerns will not continue as he passed a full year of probation without issue. I have not had any written complaints on Frey since he started with us 21 months ago.” 

Among the list of 26 complaints during his time in Cumberland, Frey was accused of making a suspect aware of abuse allegations against him, placing a woman and her child in a potentially dangerous situation. 

That same year, Frey cursed at a driver he claimed had almost hit him while he was directing traffic. When Frey approached the driver after she pulled into a nearby gas station, he said, “How stupid can you be for almost hitting me?” according to the report.

In 2022, Wolfe asked her department to enforce winter parking restrictions. When Frey’s daily log didn’t indicate he complied, Wolfe reviewed department surveillance footage and found that Frey spent about 30 out of 72 hours, or six patrol shifts, watching YouTube. He was reprimanded, but the department recorded repeat instances in 2023.  

Frey is recorded losing his patience and becoming aggressive with members of the public. There are reports of disrespectful behavior during traffic stops; a report of Frey pointing a taser at an officer in front of the sheriff; a report of Frey yelling at a child during a football game; and multiple times Frey displayed an overtly negative attitude toward coworkers. 

When asked in a department-wide evaluation what he could improve about his performance, Frey wrote, “I will always be true to myself and never stoop to the level of ass kissing or screwing someone over to benefit myself … I am sure there have been many complaints on how I speak to people, but I am truthful and honest in my duties as an officer. It does not bother me at all if other ‘deputies’ find my work to be distasteful.”

Frey did not respond to requests for comment.

“All of these issues have me questioning whether he has the maturity, judgement and competence to do this job effectively or if he even wants to do this job,” Wolfe wrote.

Savitski said his department is fully staffed at the moment, employing eight full-time officers and a handful of part-timers, he said. Frey is a full-time patrol officer but works as a school resource officer during the academic year.

Wandering officers increasing in Wisconsin during cop crunch

The total number of law enforcement officers in Wisconsin has dropped for years and now sits at a near-record low, according to stats from the state DOJ, as chiefs and sheriffs, especially in rural areas, say they struggle to fill positions in an industry less attractive to people than it once was.

This cop crunch has been a problem for years across the country, experts say.

Statewide, the number of wandering officers, those who were fired or forced out from a previous job in law enforcement, continues to rise. Nearly 400 officers in Wisconsin currently employed were fired or forced out of previous jobs in law enforcement in the state, almost double the amount from 2021. And that doesn’t include officers pushed out of law enforcement jobs outside of the state who came to Wisconsin to work.

Despite their work histories, wandering officers can be attractive to hire for law enforcement agencies, as they already have their certification, have experience and can start working immediately.

Law enforcement agencies can look up job applicants in the state DOJ’s database to get more insight into officers’ work history. And a law enacted in 2021 in Wisconsin bans law enforcement agencies from sealing the personnel files and work histories of former officers,  previously a common tactic for cops with a black mark on their record.

About 13,400 law enforcement officers are employed in Wisconsin, excluding those who primarily work in a corrections facility, according to the state DOJ. Wandering officers make up about 2.5 percent of the total.

At least one major study published in the Yale Law Journal has found that wandering officers are more likely to receive a complaint for a moral character violation, compared to new officers and veterans who haven’t been fired or forced out from a previous position in law enforcement.

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.